Essential
by Kameka
Summary: It's Gabriel's birthday....will he get what he wants?
1. Presents

Well, today, August 29th is John Hensley's birthday. He was born in 1977, which makes him 25. I decided that I'd write a Gabriel birthday story on the same day. Which will be his birthday till they give us one for the character.. For me, at least LOL As you can no doubt tell, my muses are still on their Gabriel kick/obsession.  
  
  
  
Essential  
  
By Kameka  
  
Gabriel Bowman sat with unseeing eyes as he sat at his computer and surfed the internet. Usually his inquisitive mind was busy wrapping itself with new knowledge taken from the plethora of information available while he not only researched items he already had or wished to have for his internet business, but also looked for items he thought he could sell to his rather unusual client base. Today his mind wasn't on the business he had created when he was still a teenager; it was lost in a dense fog where the past slipped through his fingers like grains of sand, the present stretched forward endlessly and the future seemed like nothing more than an unattainable dream.  
  
Twenty-five years ago today, Gabriel Lucas Bowman had been born. The momentous occasion had been celebrated by his family. He was his father's eldest son, his parents' first child whose eventual children would carry the Bowman name into to the future, another tangible dream come true that they could place their hopes on. A child they could raise to be a young man they were proud of, who was loyal to his family and those he loved, who protected when he could, who would pass the honor and genetics of the Bowman family to the next generation.  
  
Fine hopes and dreams. He knew that his parents were proud of his business even if they didn't understand it. He was doing something he loved, making a difference, and making enough to support himself. They wanted nothing more than that for any of their children. Except for them to be happily married with children of their own.  
  
It was something that Gabriel knew he wanted as well; his business was growing as more people turned to the unusual for hobbies and decorations, as more grew curious and thought outside the boundaries in which they had been confined. But he hungered for something more, someone to hold him and be held in the dark nights, someone to share his dreams and fears with in the dark nights. Someone to love him as much as he knew he could love. A connection.  
  
With a flick of his wrist he book-marked the site he had been staring at and closed it down. After checking his email to see if their had been any inquiries in the past thirty minutes, he pulled up one of his screen savers, an undulating mass of colors and shapes that blended into each other.  
  
It wasn't that he'd been ignored today. That wasn't the reason for his restlessness. Family members had called to wish him happy birthday. Some had even stopped by for a few minutes of talking and a quick hug, never staying too long to be a nuisance during working hours, but long enough to let him know he was being thought of. In about an hour, he had to be leaving to have a birthday dinner, one of the many Bowman family traditions that let the large family scattered all over New York and New Jersey continue to be close-knit.  
  
But few of his chosen family, his friends, had mentioned anything. Not even Sly, who he'd known since the third grade. Not that Sly normally remembered; it was a 50% chance at best. His best friend's head was often in the clouds, filled with ideas and pictures for the comic he created. One of the drawbacks to a creative personality, Gabriel had decided. Not that he was much better with his books, he thought as he glanced ruefully and the cluttered desk he used.  
  
Marking the pages with paper bookmarks and stacking the books on one of his extra office chairs, he attempted to give some order to the reign of chaos he perpetually lived in. The attempt was half-hearted at best as he had never minded the clutter, but one never knew when he'd need the extra room and it was better to get it cleaned up now, before it had taken on a life of it's own.  
  
Finishing his self-imposed chore, he stretched and made his way to the back room of the apartment he lived in to where he did the rest of his living. He had been lucky to find an apartment this large for the small amount of cost. He supposed he should start looking for something bigger; his shelves were getting crowded and he felt the need to spread out, but it was a move he didn't feel like he was ready to make. Financially it would be no problem, but de didn't have everything in order yet.  
  
Stepping into the shower, he turned the water on until it was almost scalding, hoping that the heat would clear some of the fog from his mind. Luxuriating in the streams that made their way down his body, he gave himself a quick scrub down with the unscented soap he preferred and shampooed his hair. Gradually turning the knob, he added more cold water to the stream from the faucet, the shift in temperature giving him the invigoration he needed.  
  
Towel drying his hair, he let the cooled air of the apartment begin to dry his body. When his hair was still damp, he finished the job of drying his skin before climbing into a pair of boxers. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he fingered the picture frame that was on the table he used for a nightstand. His family's last get together. It always made him smile to think about those times they would get together and strengthen family bonds as worries of the present slipped away. His main annoyance was that, those days when he was with his family, he'd no longer be Gabriel Bowman, capable young business owner. No, he'd become Gabriel, son of Annabel and Michael Bowman and brother to the rest of the Bowman brood. No one but his brothers and sisters could make him cringe as they brought up story after story of the past, old arguments that were never solved. It was nothing done to hurt, just to remind everyone that they weren't perfect in a way that only family could do.  
  
Shaking his head, he finished getting dressed in one of his favorite pairs of jeans and a T-shirt. What would be the first anecdote that knocked him back to childhood skirmishes? The time he had broken his arm falling out of the tree he had been using as his base of spy operations? Or his first birthday, when he had been loving in the ability to walk and run and streaked the people his parents had invited? An incident that had been embarrassingly caught with pictures his mother loved to hold over his head. That would be it, he knew. Everything else paled until he had someone special to bring to these celebrations. Not that they would leave that memory alone when that time came.  
  
The buzzer on his door sounded, causing him to look at the clock. Time flew by fast when you were lost in memories. Hoping that it was someone who wouldn't mind being hurried since he didn't want to be late, he opened the door only to blink in shock as he saw his visitor was Sara Pezzini. His main link to the police department, the female homicide detective was dressed as casually as she always was, formfitting jeans and comfortable T- shirt with her ever present leather jacket over her thin body. Hiding the gun she wore to do her job. Again he was struck with the sense of incongruity he often felt when in the presence of the detective. It wasn't just that she wielded an ancient sentient weapon named the Witchblade, but her chosen career often seemed fittingly odd to him. When someone said 'Homicide detective,' gruff men with beard-roughened chins and voices raspy from cigarette smoke came to mind. Not a beautiful woman who regularly surrounded herself with death, violence, and danger.  
  
"Am I interrupting something?" asked Sara, her voice a bit hesitant since he hadn't given her his usual greeting.  
  
"No, not really. I'm just getting ready to go out; birthday dinner." He flushed and mentally kicked himself. He didn't mean to just blurt it out like that; the last thing he wanted to do was add more guilt to the load she normally carried around. To his surprise, she merely nodded.  
  
"I know. I meant to stop by on my lunch hour but I ended up in a meeting instead." She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small gaily wrapped package and offered it to him. "Happy birthday."  
  
He reached out slowly at took it from her, swallowing the unexpected lump in his throat.  
  
"It's not much," she smiled apologetically. "I saw it a while ago and thought of you."  
  
"No, it's. It's great." He smiled at her and realized they were still standing in the doorway. "Come on in." He left the door and started walking backwards towards the desk he had cleared earlier.  
  
"You're on your way out; I just wanted to drop that off."  
  
He shrugged one shoulder in a casual gesture. "They won't mind if I'm a few minutes late. Grab a seat."  
  
She did, sitting in the chair he had come to think of as hers. He sank down next to her and fingered the silver and gold paper.  
  
"Aren't you going to open it?"  
  
He glanced up at her, a guiltily excited look on his face, before tearing into the paper with all the glee of a little boy. The now shredded paper fell to the floor as he looked at the small black box emblazoned with silver stars that he held. Opening it carefully, he placed the lid on his desk and gently moved the top layer of batting away. He revealed a necklace, an intricate Celtic knot done in sterling silver that was on a piece of leather. He fingered it gently, the works-man ship was incredible. The knot wasn't too heavy and there was a delicacy to the twisted silver that made him know it was a work of art made by someone who cared instead of part of a mass produced trend.  
  
His silence continued until Sara once more broke it. "If you don't like it, I can take it back," she told him nervously.  
  
"Don't you dare." He put the open box next to the lid and reached out to enfold her in a hug. "Thank you."  
  
She nodded against him, a movement he felt instead of saw. "You're welcome," she whispered to him.  
  
He drew back and smiled at her, keeping her slim body close to him in a gentle hold. To his surprise, she moved forward, her lips hesitantly moving over his in with the lightest of touches. "Happy Birthday, Gabriel."  
  
He blinked. "What was that?"  
  
"A birthday kiss?" she answered, making the statement more of a question. "It's tradition."  
  
"That wasn't a birthday kiss," he told her. "This is." He closed the distance this time, their lips once again meeting, his tongue gently tracing her lips, teasingly probing until her mouth opened under his and he could taste her as he'd wanted to for months.  
  
It ended as gently as it began and Sara pulled back from his embrace. "I better go; we don't want you running late to your own party, do we?" She was already striding towards the door when he called her name, causing her to stop her forward motion but not turn. "Yeah?"  
  
"Aren't I supposed to get 25 kisses and one to grow on?"  
  
She turned then, one brow arching in her trademark way. "I think that's spanks, not kisses."  
  
He shrugged. "I'm easy."  
  
She coughed back a laugh and shook her head. "I'm sure you have lots of other people willing to give you either, Gabriel. Have a nice night." Before he could reply, she disappeared, the door closing behind her.  
  
Sitting at his desk, he reached out for the box he had placed there and lifted the necklace out by the leather. Putting it on without looking, he folded his hand over where it lay, feeling the metal heat in his hand. Sara's visit had definitely been unexpected; he didn't remember even mentioning when his birthday was in passing, let alone expecting a gift from her. A grin broke out over his features as he heard his mother tell him to make a wish before blowing out the candles on the cake. She had told him as long as he could remember and would again tonight.  
  
Maybe his birthday wish would come true after all, he thought as he held the lover's knot at his throat.  
  
  
  
  
  
Well? Like it? Should I continue or leave it here and let others write as a "community project/round robin type story? For once my muses are giving me a choice! 


	2. Plotting

Magicks, yeah, they write angst...or they try to, anyhow. Not sure how successful they'll be, though we're all working on a story right now. Oh, and this comes from a reliable source: therapy doesn't help  
  
  
  
Later that night, he let himself back into his apartment. The evening had followed all expectations up to and including his mother lamenting the fact that her eldest son had yet to give her grandchildren. In between hints and offers to introduce him to the 'nice young daughters' of her friends, his siblings had proven that they had as sharp memories as ever, and as sharp tongues. It hadn't been starting Talismaniac.com and being friends with Sly that had sharpened his mind to the extent it was; that was all his family's doing.  
  
They had had ample ammunition tonight with his distraction. Regardless of how many times he dragged his mind to the present, the people surrounding him, and what was being said, it continued to drift back to the exchange with Sara earlier. The flirting was nothing new; Gabriel flirted with every woman he came across; it was a part of him, his personality. Sara was more withdrawn, but Gabriel had drawn her out with his teasing, giving her an out for the playful side of her nature that she normally couldn't show.  
  
Tonight there seemed to be another element to it. She had been more hesitant than normal, as quick with her comebacks as always, but softer somehow. Unsure of herself. Reaching up to absently hold the necklace he still wore, he considered it. Had it been the gift that caused her to be like she had or was it something else? Maybe an bad day at work; she had mentioned an unexpected meeting. She'd had bad days before, though. Sometimes they left her completely wiped, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed and go to sleep. Other times she was tense, almost frantic in her need to get things just right. Never had she been hesitant. Until now, hesitant and Sara Pezzini was a combination that just didn't go together.  
  
They still didn't mesh well in his mind. Sara was. Sara. Self-assured and strong, tough when she needed to be, someone who walked into danger as a part of her job. Someone who could take care of herself and had for more years than she'd been an adult.  
  
So why did he feel an overwhelming need to protect her? To be there for her so she didn't have to be strong?  
  
It was nothing that he would be thanked for. Knowing Sara, she would fight tooth and nail against it. He didn't know a lot of her past, just pieces she let slip through in idle conversation and things he picked up by asking subtle questions. What he did know was that she couldn't remember her mother and that her father had died years ago, when she was nine or ten years old. After that she lived in the wonderful foster care system where she had met Maria, her closest female friend until her death. He'd never met Maria, but had seen pictures of her in Sara's apartment as well as things Sara said had belonged to her. Beautiful without a doubt, but from small comments and a little digging of his own, he knew she was diametrically different from Sara.  
  
Sara, regardless of or perhaps because of, the struggles she had endured and the sadness that haunted her green eyes, looked towards the good. She saw the better sides, the hopes, instead of just the fears and violence. It was one reason, he suspected, that she had become a cop. She wasn't just following in her father's footsteps; she was doing her best to help with the chaos and insanity that plagued the beautiful but dangerous city she called home. It was something she had been doing even before she joined with the Witchblade. The weapon had a mind of it's own, but it couldn't change someone's basic nature. The battles she fought with it were battles she would have done her best to fight without it.  
  
It was something he knew she'd shrug off if he mentioned it to her, so he hadn't. Sara was uncomfortable dealing with emotions and things like that. She examined her own life and her own reactions, what person didn't? But for another person to. That wasn't allowed because it made her uneasy to think that someone knew her that well. That someone had put that much thought into what she did and who she was. It wasn't that Sara didn't connect with people, she was just private. It was a privacy he respected, not asking questions she couldn't or wouldn't answer and knowing that she wouldn't ask him any. If he needed to talk about something, she was there, but it was his choice.  
  
Maria, from what he had been able to find, had been a known drug addict, someone who looked for the next best thing to make her feel good. If she was anything like some of the addicts he had known, she was stuck in a cycle of hopelessness and desire. Not physical desire, but wanting to be close to someone, wanting to fit in with everyone. The drugs had helped her in that goal to an extent but for the most part, they had also alienated her from people. The feeling of control she had when she got high before.became a feeling of being controlled and not able to break loose even if she wanted to.  
  
When he had first read about Maria in the newspaper articles, Gabriel had wondered why they were friends. Two women on what seemed like opposing sides. He hadn't asked, not wanting his friend to know that he had looked up her friend. Once he had gotten to know Sara well, something which was almost frighteningly easy considering how much was left unsaid, he had decided that loyalty was a large part of her feelings for Maria. Sara was one of the most loyal people he knew. Loyal to herself, to her own path and ideals, and to those she called friends. She was private enough to call few 'friend' and be able to really mean it, and those she did were measured in her own mind. He knew that he himself wouldn't be considered normal to be friends with a cop. Sly still had trouble believing it at times.  
  
But he hadn't become who he was by bowing to what others thought or believed. Many of the people he went to school with had considered him and his interests weird. That hadn't stopped him then and it wasn't going to stop him now. The best anyone could be was who they are and that was half the battle right there.  
  
Just like what he knew about Sara was half the battle. It was important and he'd be able to gauge some of her reactions, but it wasn't everything. Knowing about the walls she placed between herself and other people just let him know some of the obstacles that had to be torn down. It didn't help him with the actual tearing.  
  
He chuckled and flopped down in his office chair with the can of soda he had grabbed from the fridge. This was making Sara sound like a medieval fortress under siege. Proof that he'd been working too much, perhaps, automatically giving things ancient connotations. But it still fit with what he knew about her. Maybe it was her connection to the ancient weapon she wore and wielded, but it fit. In his research regarding the Witchblade, he had learned who some of the past wielder's had been. Because the weapon supposedly gave Sara visions, albeit that was an unconfirmed theory, it stood to reason that some of those visions and past lives still affected her. How could you know the past, your own past lives, and not be affected by it?  
  
Well, fortress or no, he'd manage to break through. He had as much practice at that as she'd had of putting them up. A click of his mouse cleared the screensaver from the computer screen and he checked his email to see if there were any inquiries or orders while he was gone. There were two new orders and he printed out the information to work on the next day. His mind wasn't particularly on his business even if he was at the computer. Pulling up a website he rarely used, he scrolled a bit before picking one of the choices available. Grinning as he placed his order, he then pulled up the site he had book-marked earlier. It was only 11:30, still early enough to get some of his research done if he could concentrate on it. Picking up his remote and turning on his music a bit lower than normal in respect for his neighbors, he began his research with one part of his mind plotting his siege.  
  
Let the games begin.  
  
  
  
Short, I know. Sorry, but there should be more in a few days if my muses cooperate by writing the middle before jumping to the end! 


	3. UhOh!

A little more. I think you'll be getting this story a couple pages at a time instead of decent sized updates. Sorry  
  
  
  
The door slamming open was barely heard over the blast of Queen and Gabriel turned in his office chair to see who had came in. Sly had called earlier and said he might be stopping by during the day, but chances were it was. Right in one. Sara. In full fighting mode, he realized as he took one look at her flashing green eyes. "To what do I owe this pleasure," he asked her as he leaned back in his chair and linked his arms behind his head.  
  
"What on earth were you thinking, Gabriel?"  
  
His eyes slid to the side where his cursor was flashing at him. "Just now? Actually I'm researching Phoenician religion. I have a line on a limestone statue of Astarte, the Queen of the Stars, goddess of love and war. Sound familiar?" He shrugged. "You know me, Sara, I'm a research hound. Besides, it's only good business practice to make sure of what you're selling, right? Don't want some of your buddies in blue to take me away in cuffs for fraud, do you?"  
  
She waved a hand, dismissing his stall tactics. "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it, Gabriel."  
  
"I do?" He imitated one of her own facial expressions, cocking an eyebrow in a questioning manner. He doubted it looked as normal as it did on her, but he didn't expect it to.  
  
"Yes, you do." At his deliberately blank look, she elaborated through gritted teeth. "The flowers."  
  
"Oh, the flowers!" he exclaimed, continuing to play as if he hadn't had a clue. "Did you like them?" he asked in a voice he hoped had just the right touch of guilelessness .  
  
"What were you thinking, sending me flowers? Sending me roses?" Her voice raised until she practically yelled the last word.  
  
Gabriel shrugged again. "Yellow roses are the flower of friendship, Sara. I just wanted to say thanks for my birthday present."  
  
She opened her mouth, about to say something, and stopped, blinking. "Thanks," she finally said grudgingly.  
  
"No problem, Sara. I take it you don't like flowers?"  
  
She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug as she took the extra office chair he gestured to. "If you could have heard all the ribbing I got today at the station." she gave by way of explanation for her earlier outrage.  
  
"Probably wasn't too smart of me to have them delivered there, eh? You're not the easiest person to track down at night, though," he told her, hoping his explanation wasn't too over the top.  
  
She blinked at him before replying sarcastically, "yeah, I'm out every night till dawn."  
  
"Hey, pretty girl like you, what do you expect?" He grinned at her even as he felt her hand ruffle his hair as she aimed a light sack at the back of his head for his remark. "You know, it's a good thing my hair's tousled anyway."  
  
"Girl?" she asked dangerously.  
  
"Woman. Better?" He raised his hands in a placating gesture as she aimed for another light smack.  
  
She nodded and crossed her arms. "Gotta get you out of tossing these chauvinistic phrases around somehow."  
  
Gabriel laughed, wondering what she would do if she ever heard Sly talking. Especially since, after her first visit to his friend after witnessing a murder, Sly's talk was peppered with 'damn fine chick' and 'a bit macho, just needs to be shown how good bein' a chick can be' among other things. "Other than the excitement over the flowers, decent day at work?"  
  
"Yeah." She glanced down, idly rubbing the Witchblade where it rested on her wrist. "I should probably get back; Danny's gonna be wondering where I went."  
  
"Do I get my kiss before you leave?"  
  
"Kiss?" She looked over at him, obviously startled.  
  
"Sure, remember yesterday? My birthday? Twenty-five kisses and one to grow on. You gave me one, that means I have twenty-five more coming to me."  
  
"I told you I thought that was spanks, not kisses, remember?"  
  
"I'm still easy." He hid his grin when Sara blinked at him again, obviously taken aback by the upgrade in his flirting. Without waiting for her to say anything, he looped a foot around the bottom of her chair and pulled her closer to get one of his remaining kisses. Remaining seated, he buried one hand in her hair and drew her mouth to his. His tongue darted out to trace her lips and he smiled against them as they automatically parted. The kiss ended after a few moments and her lids opened to reveal dazed green eyes.  
  
"I, um, better go."  
  
He nodded and watched her look around. "See you tonight, Sara?"  
  
"Sure," she replied automatically as she got her bearings and walked out the door, her cell phone starting to ring.  
  
He fingered the necklace he still wore and grinned. Sara was interesting when skittish. She was still being herself, as assured as always in her mannerisms and as quick at her come-backs, but she was just enough off balance to give her a little unpredictability. Because of her job, she was always in control. The Witchblade enhanced that, giving her more control over herself and in her ability to help while taking away a large part of her control at the same time. This new side to her, one he had guessed at and glimpsed, was going to be as fun as he had thought.  
  
Shaking his head and turning back to his computer, he continued his research on Astarte. Goddess of love and war. He could definitely see the parallels there, though he figured his Sara saw more of the latter than the former.  
  
His Sara. That has a nice ring to it.  
  
TBC  
  
And yes, the next part is already in the works.. Just not sure how long it'll take so I decided to post this. 


	4. Dinner, pictures, and conversation?

See, told you it wouldn't be too long of a wait.. here's the next part….

He sat down on the floor of the hallway, his back straight against the wall as he leaned his head against it. Sara wasn't home yet, as evidenced by her missing Buell, but she should be home eventually. A basket rested next to him, it's contents wafting delicious smells that made his stomach rumble as it reminded him that he hadn't had anything since a left-over slice of pizza that had been in his fridge. He tunes the smells out as he closed his eyes against the light tiredly. It wasn't too bright but a day of staring at a computer screen did have it's disadvantages. 

Of course, that's not all he'd done: after deciding to buy the statue of Astarte, he had packed up three items that needed to be shipped and taken them down to the post office. After that, he stopped off at Sly's to give his thoughts on Sly's latest comic. As always, it included some existential quotes. It was Gabe who had introduced Sly to Nietzsche in the first place, giving him a quote book while he was looking for inspiration for his comic drawings. A gift that kept on giving.

From there he had gone to Lina's. His eldest sister had practically ordered him to show up when she noticed his distraction. He'd known that it was just an effort to get him alone so she could drag the details out of him as she had done when he was a teenager. Then, he had often cracked under the pressure until he had gotten better with age. This time he had stayed pretty much closed-mouthed. Yes, he had admitted, he was interested in someone. No, he wasn't sure if she was interested but it looked promising. It may or may not be serious. No, he wasn't going to tell Lina anything about her. Why? Because Lina was one of the family's biggest gossips and he didn't want their other sisters, their mother, or their aunts calling him for information. No, telling her wouldn't help his case against their calls.

He'd escaped after an hour when his nephew and niece, Joey and Missy came bounding inside, fresh from school and eager to drop off their bags so they could go out and wait with their friends for the ice cream truck. Their chaotic arrival had given him the exit he needed and giving both hugs and kisses after stealing the basket from Lina's collection.

Sometimes it paid to be his own boss, sometimes it didn't. Today had been one of the mixed blessings days.

Footsteps bounded up the stairs to his left but Gabriel stayed where he was; with his luck it was another neighbor of hers wanting to heap suspicions on why he was hanging around in the hallway instead of in an apartment and why he had talked his way in.

Instead it was Sara. She stopped a few feet away from her door. "Gabriel?"

He turned his head and smiled up at her. She looked tired but that was to be expected since she tended to push herself at work. "Hey, Sara."

She looked behind her before meeting his gaze again. "Am I missing something?"

"Not that I know of."

She nodded vaguely and shook herself out of the daze she was in, stepping forward to unlock the many locks her door held. "What're you doing here?"

Gabriel stood up in the hall and stretched some of the tired muscles in his back before bending over to pick up the basket. "I told you I'd see you tonight; you did agree with me."

Sara was nodding as she led the way into the dark apartment. She turned on the light as she slipped off the leather jacket she was wearing. "What's that?" she asked as he set the basket on the table to he could take his own jacket off. 

"Dinner." He held out a hand and she tossed her jacket into it for him to hang them both.

"Dinner?"

"Yeah, evening meal preferably shared with someone you find interesting?" 

"I know what dinner is."

"Figured you did, you're pretty smart." He started to move the cloth over to one side but stopped to look over at her. "Don't find me interesting?"

"What?" She looked over at him, startled by the question. "No, it's not that. It's just.." she gestured at him.

"Well, glad to know it's not the company. Mind if a move a few things?" He didn't wait for an answer before he began to stack papers neatly into piles and move them to the counter.

Sara shook her head again as she watched him moving around her apartment like he belonged there. "I'm…gonna go take a shower," she told him as she started walking in the direction of the bathroom, hoping that the water would clear some of the confusion she felt.

"Need company?"

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked over at him.

"Hey, had to offer, didn't I?" He offered her one of his disarming grins and got back to his sorting, aware that Sara watched him for another minute before making her way to the bathroom, picking up a change of clothes on the way, and shutting the door. Seconds later the shower started and Gabriel gave a sigh of relief. For a minute there, he had thought he'd gone too far. The whole idea of this was to keep her off-guard enough that she wouldn't hide behind walls, not to push her further in or get the crap beaten out of him.

He moved over to Sara's cupboards to grab the dishes and silverware needed and set the table before grabbing the containers of food out of the basket. It was take out, but he had to work with what he knew, right? Annabel had made sure all of her children knew the rudiments of cooking so they could take care of themselves, but that didn't include anything fancy. The Chinese he had picked up wasn't too fancy, to be entirely honest, but it was something he knew they both liked and he was pretty sure he knew what to order. A selection of common favorites would help their appetites and give leftovers for whoever wanted them.

The cardboard boxes were open and ready on the table when Sara came back. She looked over the transformation of the makeshift desk with a look of confusion as if once again asking herself just how she had lost control in her own apartment.

"Hungry?"

Sara nodded mutely and followed when Gabriel led her over to the table and held a chair out for her.

Picking up one of the cartons, he offered it to her as he sat down himself. "I would have lit some candles but I decided that was for another time."

Sara stopped spooning fried rice onto her plate abruptly. "Gabriel.."

"What? Oh, here," he said as he switched cartons, "their walnut chicken is to die for."

"Gabriel, we can't do this."

"Eat dinner? What, it's not against the law, is it?" An exasperated sigh answered him and Gabriel continued before Sara could blast him for his irreverent answer. "Sorry. I was just hoping to eat a little dinner before we got any serious conversation underway."

"Gabriel…"

"Okay, okay. Talk first, eat later." He cast a quick glance at the food and groaned. "We better move this over there if you want us to talk first."

Sara nodded and stood up, following him over to the main living area. To her surprise, instead of him sprawling comfortably in her oversize chair as he usually did, he sat down on the sofa next to her. Sitting down, she chewed absently on her lip.

"Didn't you want to talk?"

"Yeah, just… can't figure out where to begin."

He nodded and leaned back. "That's why I wanted to eat first."

She shook her head at him. "It wouldn't help. It's just," she hesitated a moment before continuing in an accusing rush, "you're so confusing, Gabriel."

He blinked at her and bit back the urge to laugh. She'd think that he was laughing at her and he really didn't want to deal with the fight that would cause, but really… He was confusing? He wasn't the one who wore an ancient sentient weapon that put him into inexplicable fugue states. He didn't have leaps in logic caused by visions. Fighting to keep his voice unbroken, he choked out "How am I so confusing?""

"You don't… fit!" she explained in a disgusted voice. Everything and everyone has a niche they're supposed to fill, a place they're supposed to fit in. You don't!" He opened his mouth to answer her but she continued without waiting. "You…overlap and break out of your confines. You know things that professors have a hard time wrapping their minds around, and you can make others understand it. You told me that I was 'not of this world' but you're the one that seems to fit."

"Why are you trying to hard to box me in, Sara?"

"I'm a cop. It's a side effect of the training, I guess. Good guys, bad guys, victims, suspects."

"Well, I guess it would make life a lot easier if everyone stayed in their little categories, but they don't, Sara. I'm not gonna apologize for being me. Especially since you sure don't fit the mold that created you!" he pointed out to her, a bit angry over the 'nice, safe confines' she'd put him in. It wasn't that it was bad, it just rubbed him the wrong way.

"I don't expect you to apologize! I love it that you're who you are regardless of what the people around you. It's just…" she broke off, unable to put her thoughts into words that would make him understand.

"Scary?" he suggested softly.

"I'm not scared," she snapped, an odd mixture of vulnerability and affronted anger visible on her face.

"I didn't say you were," he soothed. "It's just that everyone's scared sometimes. You don't have to be strong or macho with me, I don't have any standards I measure you up against or a set image of what I expect. Just be yourself." He reached out for her, enfolding her in a hug, which she tried to pull away from.

"That is me," she responded angrily. "It's not a facade or bravado, or what I do to fit in with a bunch of male cops who don't believe a woman should be in their ranks. It's just me."

He refused to let go of her, stilling her body as he listened to her protests. That comment about the male cops did hit closer to the truth, he know. She did have some brothers in blue who thought that way, probably always had. She was a great cop, and a lot of those guys had changed their minds, but it was still seeing as a primarily masculine job. "Hey, calm down, kid. I'm not trying to say that isn't you… Just that you don't always have to have the answers or be strong. It's you, Sara Pezzini, that I'm friends with. That I want to be with. It doesn't matter what you're like."

She sniffled, her anger petering out under the calm assurances. Gabriel wasn't insulting her, like so many others had when they semi-complimented her, their words a double edged sword dipped in disbelief and scorn. He was just being…Gabriel. Her sweet, slightly odd young friend. Which was one of the main problems here. _Young._ "Didn't we already have this talk about you calling me kid?"

"Right…kiddo," he responded, remembering their phone conversation. The term brought the desired response, a chuckle from Sara as she responded to the more lighthearted playfulness instead of the serious stuff.

She shook her head, still resting against him, and looked down at her hands. "Gabriel," she started, her tone serious again.

"Wait, let me guess," he stopped her, one finger held up a scant distance from her lips. "You're too old for me or I'm too young for you, whichever way you want to put it, you don't have time for a relationship since you're so busy working, and we're too good as friends to mess up our friendship with what 'might be.' Did I miss anything?"

"Well," she started, only to be interrupted again.

"Please don't tell me I'm like a little brother to you, okay?" His voice was pleading and his brown eyes danced with repressed laughter, but there was something hidden behind the laughter, as if he'd heard the excuse more times than he could count.

Startled, she jerked before laughing for a moment. "I wasn't going to."

"Whew, is that good to hear!"

"You're forgetting that everyone who gets close to me dies," she pointed out to him, twining the fingers of one hand with the other.

"People die everyday because that's when they're meant to. It's not because of you, Sara." When she looked about to interrupt, he forged on, wanting to get his piece said before she tried to work herself into a corner. "Sara, any of those reasons I listed for you could be valid, but they aren't. We're who we're supposed to be. If that doesn't fit in perfectly, who cares? It's not like anything else does."

She bit her lip gently and allowed her doubt-filled eyes to meet the calm determination in his brown ones.

"Sara, all I'm asking for is a chance. Is that any more or any less than anyone else wants? Than what you want?"

"No," she said so softly that he had to strain to hear her.

"Good." He was leaned over to press another kiss to her lips when his stomach rumbled. His dropped his head and groaned as he internally lectured his body on when it was appropriate to interrupt. He met her widened green eyes and shrugged self-consciously. "What? I need to eat. So do you."

She laughed and moved away from him as his arm fell from her waist. "Then we better feed ourselves, hadn't we?" 

Together, they made their way to the table laden with their aborted attempt at dinner earlier to feast on room temperature Chinese, both knowing that the conversation was only postponed.

TBC


	5. More presents and a mystery

In this part I'm beginning to do more from Sara's POV..Mostly because I want to later in the story, and if I put some in earlier, it'll flow better. I hope! Chances are this story will stay primarily from Gabriel's POV, so no worries to all of you readers who like that.  
  
On another note.. I'm glad that people are liking the take charge Gabe and skittish Sara. It's not how I meant to write them and it isn't particularly canon, but it's how they wanted to be written. I am trying to stick as close to possible to believable when it comes to characters, though, regardless of the skittishness and everything!  
  
  
  
Gabriel grabbed a carton of leftover Chinese on his way past the fridge and absently took a bite of the cold food before popping it into the microwave to heat it up. Last night's dinner had gone better than planned; for the first time since he'd known her, Sara had seen him as himself instead of a tech buddy, or worse, a younger brother. They hadn't continued their pre- dinner conversation, but that was okay; they would eventually. They both not only knew it, but they knew the other one did as well.  
  
Instead, they had had the getting-to-know-you discussion that they had basically skipped when becoming friends. No real discussion of the particulars of work, only why both had decided on their careers, no Witchblade, no theories. Just basic sharing memories of the past, letting them figure out what makes the other tick, why they sometimes react as they do. Gabe had told her about his family, what it was like to grow up in a gregarious family and how he was pretty much the odd one out being such a book worm. Sara responded with by sharing some of the memories she had of her father before he died, her eyes tinged with wistful sadness. Whether at the thought of a large family or wanting times long past, he wasn't sure. Perhaps a combination of both.  
  
She had cheered up considerably when mentioning her chosen family, that of her police partner Danny. They'd been partners for years, were best friends on top of that. When confronted with Sara's obvious affection for Danny, Gabriel had been confronted by a confusing mass of emotions. He was grateful that Sara had someone, of course, and couldn't wait to meet someone else who loved Sara probably as much as he did. Therein lay the problem.  
  
It was uncomfortable for him to admit, but he was jealous. Not of Danny exactly, or their relationship. The love that was easily seen in Sara's eyes was anything but sexual. Sara herself had told him that Danny was happily married and expecting another child. But Danny had been a part of her life for a long time, he'd had years of her friendship and companionship that Gabe hadn't had but now craved. Never before had Gabriel been jealous of any of the women he dated. Not while he was dating them or afterwards, since he had kept most as friends, when they dated other people. It was a new emotion to him and not one he thought was a particularly good one.  
  
If he was honest with himself, that was one of the attractions of the Witchblade. Few people knew what it was, let alone that Sara wore it. It was a connection that bound them together. He was the one Sara trusted enough to tell him about it, who she trusted to let him help her figure out more of it's past. It was something he could and did do for her to help her out. That weapon she wore had brought together armies, united peoples against outside threats, killed and brought death to many. It was the reason he and Sara had met. Nowhere in any of the obscure references he had found had it said it only united countries of people.  
  
It stood to reason that it united the Wielder in relationships with the same core group of friends and confidants. Any romances would come from within that core group, people the Wielder and the blade both knew they could trust. It stood to reason that just who was involved with the Wielder would switch from lifetime to lifetime within that group. That way each relationship would bring something new that the Wielder, or the Witchblade, needed.  
  
This entire thing he had going with Sara was new to him. He hadn't been one of the most popular guys in school, but he'd had his fair share of dates. His humor and personality had helped him where he knew he couldn't compete with the guys who played sports. He'd also had more than his fair share of girlfriends after leaving school even if he had been busy building Talismaniac.com from the ground up. But none of them had ever affected him like Sara did. If he had a girlfriend or dates, he had them. If not, he concentrated on something else. No big problem either way.  
  
With Sara, for the first time, he was fully invested in a relationship and they hadn't even gotten serious yet. Well, Sara hadn't; Gabriel was dead serious. He knew just what he wanted and every fiber in his being refused to accept anything less.  
  
Last night might seem like a step back to most, but he knew what he was doing. He wanted to keep Sara just a little off balance, not floundering for sure footing. If he pushed too hard, Sara would retreat back into her shell and he'd lose the ground he'd gained. Patience was the key. Tinged with just the right amount of impatience.  
  
Destiny was on his side; didn't mean he wanted to wait years, right?  
  
Finishing up the heated food, he sat down at the computer system that dominated his desk. He wouldn't be able to get away from the shop during the day today: he had two shipments coming in and had inventory to do. Not something he normally minded too much, but he'd rather concentrate on his battle plans. Breaking out in laughter, he pulled up the florists website he had used yesterday. What to choose now?  
  
  
  
Sara looked up at the sound of Jake's chuckles and groaned at the sight of the delivery person standing in the door that led to the office she shared. It wasn't the same person that came by yesterday, but it looked like they were from the same company: both were androgynous and wearing spandex bike shorts with oversize black and neon colored T-shirts, though this one had long hair that was gelled into spikes. On a completely incongruous note, both yesterday's delivery person and today's held beautifully wrapped boxes.  
  
"Uh, is there a Sara.. Pez-I-ni here?" the person in the doorway asked in what was definitely a feminine voice, managing to mangle her last name just enough for Jake to start chuckling again.  
  
"Pezzini," she corrected automatically. "Yeah, I'm Sara."  
  
The box was thrust into her hands "this is for you," she said and turned to go.  
  
"Wait," Sara reached behind her for the wallet in her jacket's pocket.  
  
"Already taken care of," was the breezy reply and then she vanished.  
  
Danny left his seat to perch on the corner of Sara's desk. "Two deliveries in two days, Pez? C'mon, when're you gonna tell me about this guy?"  
  
"It is a guy, right?" Jake chimed in, earning a withering glare from Sara as she carefully removed the bright blue ribbon and silver paper to reveal a box identical to yesterdays: white with flowing green script giving the store's name of Flowers and Showers surrounded by an elegant pattern in green just a shade lighter. "As soon as I figure out what's going on, I'll tell you, okay, Danny?"  
  
"What, I don't get to know?" Jake mock whined.  
  
Danny elbowed him into silence. "I'm the best friend. What is it this time? More roses?"  
  
She shook her head and lifted out a bouquet of white snapdragons.  
  
"Oh, those are Jenny's favorite. She likes to make them open their mouths," Danny laughed.  
  
Sara gently touched one of the petals as she had yesterday with the roses. As much as it embarrassed her to get flowers at the station, she had to admit it pleased her too. Only to herself, of course. She was still staring at the blooms when a clear vase partially filled with water was placed in front of her. She looked up to see Danny smiling at her.  
  
"Good thing this guy has vases delivered with the flowers; they'd be stuck in something from one of the fast food joints or the morgue otherwise."  
  
Sara shuddered at the thought. "No thanks." Placing the stems in the water, she moved them next to her computer and stowed the box under her desk where she hopefully wouldn't kick it. "Thanks, Danny."  
  
"No problem; this is making me wonder how long it's been since I got Leigh flowers."  
  
"Romance all gone," Sara teased with a grin.  
  
"Nah, but I do think I'll pick her up something special tonight. Thank the mystery guy for the idea, will ya?"  
  
"I will, and I will tell you about him, Danny," she reiterated, correctly reading what was in his eyes.  
  
He nodded, telling her he was willing to wait, and sat back down at his desk. "Speaking of Leigh. She's hitting the craving part of her pregnancy." he trailed off as Sara groaned.  
  
"Same as last time?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"I'll bring some in tomorrow for her."  
  
"While you're at it, you might as well bring enough in for us too."  
  
Sara nodded in acquiescence and refused to answer Jake's demanding to know what they were talking about.  
  
TBC  
  
Reviews are welcome! They make me write faster.usually LOL 


	6. Sara Pezzini making?

Ready to find out what she and Danny were talking about?  
  
  
  
Gabriel walked up the stairs to Sara's loft apartment again. He'd never told her he was showing up, but chances were she'd guessed it anyhow. He'd been able to see the lights from the street and hoped that meant she was home. If not, he could wait in the hallway again; it hadn't bothered him last time. Sure enough, music was blasting from inside the loft, U2 if he wasn't mistaken. He rang the buzzer, grinning when the music was turned down and the door opened.  
  
"Gabriel!"  
  
"Aren't we switched here? I'm supposed to be the one blasting the music while you ask me to turn it down."  
  
"Come on in," she offered, glancing behind her as she moved aside for him.  
  
"Have visitors?" He sniffed the air. "Smells like you stopped by a bakery today. Get anything interesting?"  
  
"Just doing something for Danny." She followed into the main part of the apartment, almost running into him when he stopped to stare at her kitchen table.  
  
"You're baking cookies?" he asked incredulously as he moved forward again and set the two video cassettes on her kitchen counter.  
  
"Yeah, for Danny."  
  
"You've never baked me cookies before," he teased in a mock jealous voice.  
  
"Next time you're pregnant, I'll bake you cookies, okay?"  
  
Gabe laughed and sat down. "Danny's pregnant? Anyone call the papers?"  
  
"Leigh's the one who's pregnant, smart ass. Oh, speaking of Danny, he says thanks for the idea of flowers."  
  
He nodded, "no problem, always happy to help a romance along," and stole one of the cookies that were cooling on the rack to take a bite. "Hey, these are pretty good!"  
  
"Thanks," she smiled at him before the oven began beeping and she grabbed her oven mitt, switching the full tray of baked cookies in the oven with one full of uncooked dough. Setting it on one of the racks, she slapped his hand as he went to steal another cookie. Going back to the oven, she reset the timer and made her way back to the table.  
  
"I thought you didn't cook?"  
  
"I don't, for the most part. Ask me to boil an egg and you'll be really disappointed in the results."  
  
"Well, these are delicious," he complimented again, stealing his third with his left hand as she slapped at his right. "How come you can bake these but not boil an egg?"  
  
Sara shrugged as she began to transfer the cooled cookies from the rack to the Tupperware container she'd brought over from the counter. "I know my priorities. I happen to like cookies a lot better than I like boiled eggs."  
  
"Makes sense," he mused as he began to help her with the transferring.  
  
"I thought so," she agreed, glaring at him as he stole another cookie.  
  
"Hey, I'm a growing boy!" he defended.  
  
"Sure you are, shrimp."  
  
"Shrimp? Shrimp? I'm taller than you are! Who're you calling a shrimp, kid?" He stood up from the chair and crossed both arms over his chest as he towered over her with his whole three-inch advantage.  
  
"You," she answered frankly, raising a brow as she dared him to respond.  
  
"Works," he shrugged and sat back down, stealing another cookie and munching on it with a sheepish grin. "Skipped lunch," he explained.  
  
"Poor guy," she commiserated as she patted his head. "But if you keep eating my cookies, I won't have any to give to Danny and Leigh or to eat at the precinct to tomorrow." She moved the rack out of his reach as he went to grab another one and pointed to the kitchen. "There's fried chicken and biscuits in the microwave, corn on the cob, and potato salad in the fridge." She shrugged when he looked over at her. "You confuse me, but sometimes you are predictable. I figured you'd probably show up and it was my turn to get dinner."  
  
He walked into the kitchen with the now full baking sheet and put it on top of the stove. Opening the microwave, he took a deep breath as the scent of fried chicken met him. "Great choice!" The oven beeped and he turned, automatically catching the tossed oven mitt to do the transfer of baking sheets. Carrying the hot one over to put where Sara had indicated, he grabbed plates and forks as Sara did the cookie transfer.  
  
"Hope you like extra crispy."  
  
"Love it," he enthused, stomach already grumbling as he lined put everything on a tray he found leaning against one of the cupboards. "I brought a couple movies, thought we could watch them together."  
  
"Sure." Sara looked up as Gabriel made his way to the couch with his laden tray. "What do you want to drink?"  
  
"Soda'll do."  
  
Sara nodded and grabbed two Cokes to join him on the sofa. "I'm gonna be up and down until the cookies are done," she warned.  
  
"It's okay, I'll help. We can watch the movie after they're done. What do you want first? Action or comedy?"  
  
"Comedy," Sara decided without even thinking about it. Then she settled in next to him, accepting the offered plate.  
  
TBC  
  
No kiss here.. Sorry, magicks! 


	7. Danny the glutton

Sorry this has been a few days. I got a bit distracted. Here's the next part, though! Enjoy!  
  
  
  
Sara exchanged the backpack she carried for a cup of coffee from Danny as she walked past Danny's desk. "Thanks," she held the cup up in a quick salute before taking a drink from it. "You have two with baked, three with dough for her to make them. If she needs them, directions are on a piece of paper."  
  
"Thank you," he told her fervently, checking to make sure the promised goods were in the bag before stashing it under his desk. He'd take it over on his lunch hour if they weren't in the middle of something; give Leigh a head start on them. "Hey, Sara?"  
  
"Do I finally get to find out what you guys were talking about?" Jake asked as he propped his feet up on Sara's desk.  
  
Shoving his feet off as she sat down, Sara nodded to Danny as she powered up her computer. "Four extra of baked are in there. Two for us to munch on, and two for Vicky. She'd kill me if I didn't fix some for her."  
  
Danny popped the top on one of the containers and grabbed a cookie before holding it out to Jake. "Isn't she on a diet? She'll probably kill you if you do give them over."  
  
Sara shrugged and grabbed one to munch on. "Dead if I do, dead if I don't. Might as well screw up her diet in the meantime."  
  
Jake stared at the browned cookie he held in his hand. "This is what you were talking about yesterday? Cookies?"  
  
Danny pointed with his half-eaten one to Sara. "Made by our esteemed partner."  
  
Jake looked up at Sara before looking back at the cookie again, this time with fascination tinged with horror on his face. "You bake cookies?"  
  
"I've been known to for someone special," she said slowly, wondering just what Jake was getting at. Well, she knew what, she just didn't know if he'd actually say what he was thinking.  
  
"Mystery guy get any?" Danny intervened; hoping that Jake wouldn't stay on the track he was heading.  
  
She glanced at him to let him know that she knew he was deliberately using the distraction from Jake to fish for more information. "Helped bake them, actually. Showed up halfway through the process. Took some home, ate a bunch there. He's a bottomless pit." She watched as Danny ate another cookie, having lost track of what number he was on. "Kinda like you."  
  
Danny looked guiltily at the container, a fourth of which was gone, and shrugged. "I work it off. Got anything new to tell me about Mr. Mysterious?"  
  
Jake broke in with an exclamation about the cookie he finally got up the nerve to try. "This is pretty good!"  
  
"Thanks, rookie. Not yet, Danny."  
  
Jake grabbed three cookies from the dwindling pile. "Why doesn't Sara just give the recipe to Leigh?"  
  
Danny laughed and shook his head. "Leigh already tried that.Sara refused to give it up."  
  
"Hey," she defended herself, "this isn't my recipe, you know. It was my mother's. She passed it onto Marie," she said, referring to Joe Siri's wife, "who taught me how to bake them."  
  
"You have a family recipe for. what are these things?" Jake reached up to try and catch the crumbs escaping from his mouth.  
  
"Ginger coconut, and yes, I do, Jake. Why?"  
  
"No reason, no reason," he placated as he scoffed down what he had left. Reaching for some more, he pouted when Danny pulled the container away and covered it.  
  
"We have work to do, Jake," Danny reminded him, ignoring the blonde's whining with all the practice of a father.  
  
  
  
Gabriel knocked on the heavy wood door leading to the bar, hoping that someone was there and could help him. It was a long shot for him to be here, but if it worked out, it'd be worth it. Last night with Sara had been full of mixed blessings. It was obvious from her casualness that she was trying to put them back on the even footing they had with their friendship. He'd followed her lead, hoping to get her on a little more even keel before he stepped up the campaign. Ah, speaking of the campaign.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Gabe backed up a step at the brusque greeting. The man who had opened the door was short and overweight, wearing a large once white apron covered with stains Gabriel really didn't want to know about. Taking his lead, Gabriel answered in a matter-of-fact tone "I'm looking for a singer named Conchobar."  
  
"He isn't here," the man replied and made a move to close the door in Gabe's face.  
  
"I know he isn't. He used to sing here, though."  
  
"Yeah, before he decided he was too good to show up for his normal gig."  
  
"Any idea where I can find him?"  
  
He gave Gabe a once over, taking in everything he wore. The loose jeans and flannel shirt he wore looked normal enough, but the leather jacket was obviously expensive. "What you lookin' for him for?"  
  
"I'm just a fan."  
  
The man took another look at the young man before him. "A fan, eh?"  
  
"Yeah, of his music," Gabe answered with outraged offense in his voice. Just what he needed a repulsive man to assume he's a gay groupie. Was Conchobar gonna be like that too?  
  
"Hmm, well, I'm not supposed ta, but here." He grabbed a napkin from the stack that rested on the table just inside the door and scribbled an address on it. "If he hasn't moved or been kicked out, he'll be there."  
  
Gabriel's thanks were cut off with the door slamming in his face. "Well, definitely not someone worried about the patronage of his fine establishment," he told himself as he read the address and started back to his car.  
  
The drive to the building was done on automatic, his mind still on the night before. Sara's baking cookies was unexpected but enchanting. He knew that the detective usually had take-out and that the most she cooked was usually something simple, like eggs. But baking cookies? That was something associated with females and being feminine, even with the blurring of the gender lines in the past fifty years. Sara Pezzini's whole life was based on her take-no-prisoners attitude. It served her well in work and her home reflected it, sparse furnishings, bare concrete walls, and even her punching bag enforced her no frill style.  
  
So where did the cookie baking come in? Was it some way of ensuring closeness to a female in her past? Her mom, maybe? Wherever it came from, it was proof not to take her on sight only. Sara definitely had unexpected hidden depths to her.  
  
The address given to him wasn't that far from the bar and he easily found the apartment in the building. Reaching out and knocking, he stepped back just in case it wasn't Conchobar and whoever it was hadn't wanted to be disturbed. He lucked out, the door was flung open with a crash that made both men wince and then Gabe was looking at the singer/song-writer himself.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I got your address from a guy down at Duncan's," Gabriel explained, naming the bar he had visited earlier.  
  
"They aren't supposed to give out information about their entertainers to just anyone who walks in off the street," Conchobar responded in his Irish accent, grimacing as he turned and walked over to a cupboard. "Besides, Duncan knows I'm not singing now. Why would he send you to talk to me?"  
  
"That's apparent," Gabriel said to himself as the singer washed down a couple of aspirin with beer from a bottle that had been open in the fridge.  
  
The Irishman turned and raised the bottle towards Gabe before he drained it of its contents, satisfaction apparent on his bruised face. "What is it you need, boy? Are you Duncan's latest ploy to get me to sing for him again?"  
  
"I never met Duncan, unless he was the guy who answered the door."  
  
"Nah, that would have been Christopher, Duncan's brother. Duncan never spends his days at the bar."  
  
Gabriel nodded in acceptance and sat where the singer pointed. "I'm just a fan that's interested in a copy of one of your songs."  
  
"I don't have a record deal, boy. Everyone knows that."  
  
"I know. Because you're a bard and you can't write to others' specifications," Gabe answered, the way he put it showing he knew Conchobar's viewpoints quite well.  
  
"Aye, that's true. So why are you looking for me?" he asked as he sat down across from Gabe.  
  
"I heard you singing months ago, before you disappeared. I was hoping that I could get a copy of one of your songs."  
  
"How do you propose to do that, what with me not having a record deal?"  
  
"I have the equipment at home to make a CD," he explained.  
  
"And what would you do with this CD after you made it?"  
  
"Give it to my girlfriend. She needs to hear the message in the song."  
  
"You're wanting me to give you a recording of one of my songs so you can give it to your girlfriend?" Gabriel's answer to Conchobar's question was a nod, and Conchobar sat back in his seat. "Tell me about this girlfriend, and then we'll talk about your recording."  
  
Grinning, Gabriel began to do just that.  
  
TBC  
  
Again, no kiss or romance, even..sorry guys! Maybe next time! 


	8. Mr Mysterious gets a name

Again, sorry for the delay, guys. Life has been hectic and rather annoying lately. Hopefully the next one won't have such a long delay.

Danny looked up at Sara's soft groan and followed her line of sight into the main part of the Homicide department. Sure enough, another one of the delivery people that everyone had come to recognize, and used to tease Sara, was coming towards their office. The delivery person, possibly a male because of the height, was looking a bit apprehensive as the officers just pointed which way he should go without being asked. Reaching the open door to the office, he knocked and looked about to speak when Danny grinned and interrupted him.

"Sara Pezzini, right?" At the nod, Danny pointed over to Sara.

"Thanks, man," he said as he handed the dark red and gold wrapped package to Sara and left, tossing "tip's taken care of" over his shoulder on his way out.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Sara asked as she dropped the gift onto the desk in front of her.

"What? Seeing you flustered? Yeah. Think I can learn more about Mr. Mysterious now?" he prodded same as he had yesterday.

"No," was the stock reply given same as the other times the question had been asked.

"You know, Pez, I thought your Mr. Mysterious had finally seen reason since there was no package yesterday."

"Finally seen reason," Sara repeated in a voice tinged with acid. "Just what's so unreasonable about a guy giving me presents?"

"It's not," Danny hurried to say, lifting his hands in defense. "I just meant he stopped delivering here at the precinct. Finally saw sense that if it kept up you'd probably kill him."

"I felt like it, trust me. But…" she trailed off, leaving Danny to fill in the blanks.

"But you like the gifts? You like that he obviously likes you enough to even start this whole thing?"

"I guess," Sara admitted grudgingly. "That and he can get away with a lot."

"Why do you think that is?" Danny leaned back in his chair and threaded his fingers, knowing as any good police officer did that at times in an interrogation, subtle though it was, the suspect or friend had to reach their own conclusions.

Sara flushed and picked up the package. "Aren't you wondering what it is this time? The other times you couldn't wait," she reminded him.

Seeing the distraction ploy that Sara had used to avoid answering the question, he waved a hand.

Nodding her thanks for his tacit permission, she removed the gold bow from the slim package she held before running a nail along the seam of the paper to cut the tape.

"I hate it when you do that," Danny groused good-naturedly.

"I know," she grinned at him before revealing what the wrapping had hidden. It was one of the slim CD jewel cases containing a plain silver CD.

"Well, it's not flowers. Any clues?" Danny asked from across the two desks.

"If it's standard for…" she paused, about to say his name before settling for "him, it's something retro."

"Toss it over," Danny told her, catching it as she did. He carefully took the CD out of the case and put it into a boom box that occupied a part of a shelf in their bookcase crammed with books and files. Pressing 'play,' they both waited for whatever the man Danny had dubbed Mr. Mysterious had planned.

An accented voice that Sara had never heard before but sounded familiar all the same came on. She shook her head at Danny's look, silently asking if this was Mr. Mysterious.

"Hallo, fair Sara Pezzini. Your boy Gabriel told me all about you when he asked me if I'd consider letting him give you a copy of one of my songs. He chose this song because of the chorus, to remind you not to think too much. Apparently it causes trouble in America same as it does in Ireland. He says he does know how you've ended up with him, or why you will. But if you want the reasons, you have to talk to him, all right? He really loves you, Sara Pezzini. Give him a chance, okay?"

The note finished, a guitar started playing. After about ten seconds, the same lilting voice came in with the beginning to the song.

__

It's the luck of the draw

How you wound up with me

I don't know how at all

But I beg you to stay

Crawl around on this earth

With the world still small

At the end of it, the singer came back on with a quick addendum to the note that had started the song. "Don't forget that you still owe him twenty-three more. You wouldn't welsh on a promise, would you?"

Sara buried her face in her hands as Danny turned off the boom box and returned the CD to the case before putting it on Sara's desk. "Twenty-three more?"

"Kisses," Sara groaned, knowing that Danny wasn't going to let everything go. "You know, however many years old you are, you get that many kisses and one to grow on?"

Danny nodded, recognizing the tradition, though he's believed it was for kids or mothers, for the most part. "Boy?"

"He's not a boy, Danny," she told him disgustedly.

At that moment, Jake entered the office carrying a pair of manila file folders that he had been using for research on one of their cases. At Sara's proclamation, he blanched, shook his head, and left for the break room, hoping that they had some strong semi-decent coffee. 

Both detectives watched their rookie partner still shaking his head as he walked away and laughed before Sara continued. "He's younger than me, but I'm not a cradle-robber or anything, Danny."

"How young is 'younger than you?'" 

"He just turned twenty-five, okay?"

Danny thought about it and nodded. "Four year age difference. Nothing that'll raise any eyebrows." He paused and sat down on the edge of the desk. "So, do I get a last name to go with the first?"

"No."

Danny shrugged and went over to his chair. "Well, I know a lot more than I did earlier," he stated philosophically. "Mr. Mysterious is a twenty-five year old romantic named Gabriel. I can wait for the rest of the Intel for a wile longer."

Sara shook her head at Danny's use of military lingo. Intel indeed. Her life was really starting to look like battles on all fronts.

Okay, everyone recognized the song, right? "Honey Don't Think" sung (and written, I believe) by Grant Lee Phillips. You guys like that Conchobar came in or still iffy on it? 

The next part will hopefully be longer and up quicker than this one…. And I promise, it'll have some Gabe/Sara in it, ok?


	9. Conversation completed

Here you go... and it's what the majority of you asked for.. Gabe/Sara. I even threw in some kisses. Why didn't you let me now how few there were? LOL Is that what the "subtle and not so subtle" hints (and threats!) were about? As for Conchobar dying. I think I want to keep him alive. haven't totally decided yet.  
  
  
  
Gabriel grinned at the hesitant knock on the door. If he followed the pattern of the last few days, it would be Sara, here once again to ask him to stop sending her gifts. The reason the detective was hesitant was obvious: no music was blasting. A first, Gabriel knew. The knocking became louder and faster as every minute that he didn't answer the door passed. Finally giving in, he really didn't want his door shot at or kicked in, he went and opened it to reveal a slightly frantic Sara as he knew it would.  
  
"Gabriel, are you okay?" Sara moved into the room crowded with treasures of the past, her trained eyes scanning for anything or anyone out of the ordinary. She was pretty obviously mentally cursing the setup of Gabriel's shelves, wondering what could be lurking in the shadows behind them.  
  
"Aw, I didn't know you cared," Gabe teased her as he reached out and drew her closer to him. Her entire body was tense at the thought of an unknown danger. "Relax, Sara, nothing's wrong." He pulled her even closer to press a gentle kiss on her lips.  
  
"If nothing's wrong, why isn't your music playing?" she fired as soon as he had finished.  
  
"I had an important phone call," he explained, rubbing her arms soothingly.  
  
She shook her head in disgust. "Don't scare me like that again," she warned him, unaware of the pleading note that had entered her voice that was there for anyone looking to hear it.  
  
"I won't," he promised. Another one of Sara's chinks, he thought to himself. He'd known that Sara was uneasy getting close to people in case they left her alone again, but for some reason that hadn't translated itself into people she knows dying. He absently shook his head and wondered where his reasoning was sometimes.  
  
"Good," she nodded in satisfaction. Then she looked around the familiar surroundings as if asking herself why she was here. Oh, yeah, the CD. "Thanks for this," she held up the CD she had been carrying.  
  
"Welcome. Gonna follow the advice?"  
  
Sara hesitated again before gesturing to the chairs that sat in front of Gabriel's desk. He answered her unasked question and sat down easily, turning away from the computer to show her that she had his undivided attention. "Don't tell me, it's time for the conversation we postponed, right?"  
  
She nodded and sat down across from him, absently chewing a lip as she wondered where to begin this time.  
  
"Let's not rehash the nice, safe confines, okay?"  
  
She nodded again and continued thinking until Gabriel, figuring that if they were going to have this conversation it should be as least awkward as possible, decided to break the ice. "So, you liked the song?"  
  
Glad to have something to talk about instead of sitting there in silence, Sara nodded. "It didn't seem like your type of music. I'd never heard it before, though."  
  
Gabriel grinned. "It's one of Conchobar's songs. He's an Irish alt- rocker, writes all his own songs. He used to sing over at Duncan's on Chelsea, sold out every night on word of mouth alone, actually. Dropped out of sight a few months ago, writer's block, I guess."  
  
"He writes his own songs?"  
  
"One hundred percent original," Gabriel verified. "When he left here he was itching to pick up a pen and paper, though. He may become famous after all. If he ever starts playing at Duncan's again, I'll take you over and introduce you. He wants to meet my fair Sara."  
  
Sara considered it for a moment before nodding. She wasn't sure what it was or why it was, but something drew her to the man. Or his song, at least. Maybe meeting him would help her figure it out. After she figured out this whole thing with Gabriel; she didn't need more confusion in her life.  
  
"So, where were we when we quit last time? You're too old for me and I'm too young for you?"  
  
"I'm not too old for you."  
  
Gabriel chuckled at the indignant tone in Sara's voice. He hadn't met a woman yet whom liked being told they were old. "But I'm too young for you? Because if I'm too young for you that means you're too old for me," he pointed out, finishing her thoughts easily.  
  
She opened her mouth to reply before shutting it abruptly, her brows furrowing a bit in consternation.  
  
"NYPD Homicide detective Sara Pezzini a cradle-robber. What would your father think?"  
  
"Oh, be quiet. I'm not now and nor have I ever been a cradle-robber."  
  
"Okay, so there's one argument off the list," Gabriel grinned and made a check in the air with his index finger. "Next on the agenda?" He waited for a minute but Sara stayed silent so he continued with the list he had made during their last aborted attempt at this conversation. "You don't have time for a relationship."  
  
Sara nodded gratefully, her mind obviously still spinning over how easily Gabriel had reduced the age difference to nothing at all.  
  
"Well, you have time for a friendship, right?" He waited while she nodded again. "Think about it, we see each other four or five times a week anyhow, hang out, have dinner, rent a movie, or just talk. All of those can be considered dates and they weren't too much with your work schedule, were they?"  
  
"Well, no, but hanging out with a friend and getting called to a crime scene isn't the same as having to leave a date to go to one."  
  
"Well, I can't tell you how other guys'd react, but I can pretty much guarantee that it won't bother me much." He intercepted an incredulous look thrown his way and shrugged. "Hey, I didn't say I'd like it, but I'd understand when it happened. It's not like it'd be 6 out of 7 times usually, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
He nodded in satisfaction and crossed another thing off his mental checklist. "Okay, next is the good old 'we're too good friends to risk messing up the friendship,' since we're skipping the 'I love you like a brother,'" he warned her with a mock glare.  
  
"But, but, Gabriel, I do love you like a brother!" Sara proclaimed, her eyes widened in innocence while clasping one of his hands in both of hers.  
  
He grimaced, remembering all the other times in his life he'd heard that. "Well," he finally joked, "if you love me like a brother, I hope it's at least as an incestuous brother."  
  
"Gabriel!"  
  
He grinned and gave her a quick kiss before she could pull away from him. "You do that shocked school marm tone well."  
  
She shook her head, knowing that that subject was closed as well. His irreverent attitude towards it made any seriousness on her part impossible.  
  
"Now, as for messing up a friendship. sure, that's possible," he admitted. "But if we don't try, we won't find out if something more is possible, right? Besides, our friendship goes pretty deep thanks to your twitchy friend there," he gestured to the bracelet on her wrist. "I doubt that'd let any rift in our friendship be major or last that long, do you?"  
  
Sara considered the silent jewelry for a moment before muttering the phrase she was beginning to abhor under her breath. "Everything is connected."  
  
Gabriel grinned at the completely true phrase. "Exactly. You're a cop which connected you to Sly through the murder he witnessed, which helped lead you to me, since he saw it while he was online on my computer."  
  
Sara shook her head as she groaned. "I should've known you'd get that without any prompting."  
  
"Hey, it's a simple concept," he pointed out while absently playing with her fingers.  
  
She shook her head again at his approach to a concept that not everyone got. It had taken her a while to truly understand it, she still didn't completely accept it all the time, and it was her life that the Witchblade controlled with that particular notion.  
  
"What's left?" He forestalled her comment by raising one hand up when she opened her mouth. "Don't even start on that 'everyone you know dies' stuff, okay? You already know my opinion on that and I haven't died, Danny hasn't died, Danny's wife hasn't died, and so on."  
  
Sara paused before deciding not to open the whole can of worms about Danny dying. Or not dying, ,as the case may be.  
  
"Anything else?" He asked in a reasonable tone.  
  
Sara raised one brow and gave a rueful smile. "Would it to me any good?"  
  
He pretended to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope, not a bit."  
  
"Then there's nothing else, right?"  
  
"Right." He grinned at her. "So, we start dating. Without you trying to talk me out of anything."  
  
She nodded in agreement.  
  
He leaned forward and stole another kiss from her, this one long and tender. The battle was halfway over, he knew. The rest should be the fun stuff.  
  
  
  
There, happy guys? Oh, and thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story. 


	10. Up and Up

Here you go. the next part. All information about the Empire State Building is real. Sorry it took a while. I had some trouble with my disk. It wouldn't let me pull up one file on it. Guess what that file was? Then I had to go help my sister out with something, which slowed me down a bit LOL Anyhow, enjoy!  
  
  
  
"Gabriel, what are we doing here?" Sara looked up to one of the landmarks of her home city with a bit of confusion.  
  
"I bet you've never been to the top, have you?" He grinned over at her before joining her in looking up.  
  
"Can't say I have." She shook her head.  
  
"Well, we're here to fix that. I can't believe you've never been to the Empire State Building. Tourists rarely miss it, but the natives always overlook the wonders around them."  
  
"The Empire State Building is a wonder?"  
  
"Sure," he reached back to pull out his wallet before continuing. "It opened in 1931 and was generated by the skyscraper craze of the 1920s. It's developer, John Jacob Raskob, was aiming to claim the title of 'world's tallest building' for it. There were only thirteen months of construction, making it the fastest rising major 'scraper ever built: the building rising at a rate of 4 ½ stories a week."  
  
"Did you swallow a tourism guide or something?"  
  
Gabe laughed. "Or something. I used to help out a buddy of mine who runs one of the tours," he told her while handing the admission charge to the woman waiting.  
  
Sara nodded, the eclectic and erudite nature of her. boyfriend. well known to her. She shied away from the phrase boyfriend. It hit too close to some of the accusations that people were bound to make. Not that she had ever paid much attention to other people before. Lover-to-be? What did he consider himself? What did he consider her?  
  
Gabe glanced over at her, wondering what she was thinking. Not wanting her to get too lost in her thoughts, he pulled her back to him with some more trivia about one of New York's most famous landmarks. "More than 3.8 million people visit the observation decks annually and about twenty thousand people work here." He linked hands with hers to keep her close. "It's appeared in more than 100 movies, including the classic King Kong."  
  
"Hey, you wanna get a job here?" the woman who sold the tickets interrupted to ask him. She ignored Sara completely and looked him up and down in a frankly predatory manner..  
  
Half expecting her to lick her lips, Gabe smiled when he felt Sara's hand tighten around his own. "Sorry, but I'm not interested," he told her, letting the statement stand for both the invitation to be a tour guide and the more personal one he could easily read in her eyes. Sara's hand relaxed slightly in his grip and he pulled her even closer to him to drop a quick kiss on her cheek. "Ready to go?"  
  
She nodded and fell into step with him as they made their way to the glass- walled elevator that would take them up to the observatory on the 82nd floor. On their way up, she studied with interest the illuminated panels that showed the Seven Wonders of the World and portrayed the Empire State Building as the eighth.  
  
"They weren't modest about their intentions," he informed her with laughter in his voice.  
  
"Obviously not," she agreed dryly.  
  
"You don't have to worry, you know," he told her quietly.  
  
"Worry about what?"  
  
He gestured to the marble lobby and the occupant who had succeeded in upsetting her.  
  
"I wasn't worried," she protested with a shake of her head.  
  
"Sara, this is me, remember? I know you pretty well."  
  
She was silent the rest of the ride up until they were finally let out of the lift at the outdoor promenade. Gabe bypassed the benches and led Sara through a fair walk that was taken leisurely as Sara looked with interest at the view and the people they passed. Finally they reached the southwest corner and he stopped.  
  
"It's beautiful," she breathed as she saw the skies painted crimsons and oranges and golds by the setting sun.  
  
"It's not alone," he returned, bracing himself against the wall with her standing in front of him. He moved closer to her and breathed in the light citrus scent of her shampoo. "This is my favorite observation deck. The other one lets you see more, since it's higher, but it doesn't give you the sense of freedom."  
  
"I should have known that you'd be one of the few natives who's actually came here."  
  
He shrugged but didn't deny the accusation. "It's a part of the history of my city. What would you expect from someone who made history his career?"  
  
"Nothing more," she answered and squeezed the hand she had put one of her own over.  
  
They watched lights come on below as the sun slowly sank and the sky turned shades of blue-black.  
  
"I do know," she said suddenly.  
  
Used to her non-sequeturs, he simply nodded.  
  
Lifting one of his hands from the metal rail that rested on top of the wall, she linked their fingers back together and studied them with what appeared to be intense concentration.  
  
"Sara, if I know you pretty well, you have to know me pretty well. That's the way it works, right?" He felt more than saw her nod. "Well, then you know what type of guy I am."  
  
"One of the best," she whispered in answer, more to herself than him.  
  
He grinned and held her more securely, his hands no longer on the railing before them but around her waist as she leant back against him. the sun continued to slip beneath the horizon as they watched and the slight chill in the air grew more pronounced.  
  
Gabe let go of her and linked hands once again to draw her along. "Cold?" he asked when she shivered slightly.  
  
"No. I'm okay."  
  
He nodded and the made their way back to the elevator. Instead of going down, they went up. Looking over at him in surprise, she waited for an explanation.  
  
"There are two observation decks, remember?"  
  
She nodded her assent and he shrugged slightly as he stepped into the elevator with her.  
  
"I want us to go to the other one, too. You'll find out why; no need to interrogate me or anything," he teased her.  
  
She shook her head. "People have no respect for cops these days."  
  
"I have lots of respect for cops!" he responded, ,stung by the accusation. "Especially for you and your partner, who puts up with you on a daily basis."  
  
"Comedians," she said disgustedly and shook her head again.  
  
In answer he drew her close to him and pressed a kiss against her lips. Long and slow, his tongue teased her lips for entrance and, when granted, leisurely explored her mouth. The elevator stopped with a bump and they broke apart to a low whistle from one of the other occupants of the small room. Everyone left when the doors slid open except for the two of them until finally a large man poked his head in. "You guys coming?"  
  
They broke their locked gaze and followed him out, the elevator closing behind them. "Thanks," Gabriel murmured.  
  
"Welcome," he answered, oblivious to any sarcasm in the voice. "You can make out in the elevator all you want, but since you were coming up here."  
  
Gabe nodded and looked over at Sara, who was still semi-dazed. "Come on."  
  
They made their way to the wall of glass that enclosed the smaller, more cramped, observation deck and fell naturally into the same position they had been in twenty floors lower. The sky was mostly dark blue-black now, and they were high enough to see some of the stars that city lights had hidden when they were closer to the ground.  
  
What caught Sara's attention, though, was the view below them: the city lights spread out and dazzling. "I forget how beautiful New York can be. I'm always too caught up in work and life down there."  
  
"'The Milky Way come down to Earth,'" he agreed. "That's what Le Corbusier said. I usually come up here to think; when I need to just get away from everything else. It's one of my retreats."  
  
Sara turned to look slightly up at him. "Thank you." He raised his eyebrows in question, nodding in understanding when she continued. "For sharing your retreat with me."  
  
"Don't think about it," he responded, holding her tightly and feeling her lean back into him again as they watched the blinking lights above and below.  
  
TBC  
  
Hope you liked this! Even had unasked for romance in it! As always... Thanks for any and all reviews! 


	11. Fleas and crafts

Ready for more, guys? FF.net being down seemed to mess with everything LOL Oh. just a warning. there will be a jump in rating in a while, ok? Keep an eye open for it!  
  
  
  
"Come on, Sara, we're gonna be late!"  
  
"Gabriel, we're going to get there at least a half-an-hour early. Even if we stop for breakfast, we won't be late. I don't see why we can't use that time for waking up properly. Or even going back to sleep?" she ventured, the remark more of a hopeful question.  
  
"Nope," he shook his head adamantly. "I've been to these things before; the serious people always show up early."  
  
"But I'm not serious about it," she offered a bit petulantly.  
  
"I am. Now finish your coffee and let's go, let's go, let's go!"  
  
Sara shook her head as she smiled a bit indulgently at him before finishing the black liquid in her cup. It was still dark outside and the lights inside were on low, throwing the room into shadows. "I still can't believe that you want to go to something like this."  
  
"Hey, you can find a lot of good stuff. I usually find a few things that're great for the shop, plus I find stuff for me personally or as presents for others."  
  
"Gabriel, you're an insomniac. Why would anyone - but especially an insomniac - voluntarily get up when it's still dark outside?" She gestured to the darkened placed along one of her long walls.  
  
"I grew up being dragged to things like this by my mom. I hated getting up early, complained even more than you are. But later I found out that I liked it. Getting up at oh-dark-thirty was worth it for the stuff I could find." He watched impatiently as she finished the cup of coffee and took the ceramic vessel when she was done and rinsed it out in the sink, putting it open-side-down in the drainer that was next to the sink. "Ready now?"  
  
"I still haven't figured out why you want me to go."  
  
"For the company, of course," he gave her a quick kiss, glad when she didn't stop him or pull away. "Besides, you might find some stuff for your friends."  
  
"What types of stuff do they have there?" she asked as she put on her leather jacket to ward off the early morning chill and was hustled out of her apartment.  
  
"Everything."  
  
"Nothing has everything," she protested.  
  
"You're right. How about: pretty much everything?"  
  
"Gabriel."  
  
He shrugged and held the door of his mint green VW Bug open for her. "Sara, it's a combination flea market cum arts and crafts fair. There'll be lots of fun stuff to look at, but we have to get there first!"  
  
"Alright, alright already!" She held up her hands in defeat and folded herself into the passenger seat of the car. "I should have known you'd have a bug," she told him as he got into the driver's side.  
  
"Hey, it's a classic!"  
  
She ignored the defense. "You know, if most people woke me up this early, they'd be dead."  
  
Starting the car, he glanced over at her before looking behind them to pull out of the parking spot. "Good thing I'm so cute, eh?"  
  
"Being cute isn't what saved you. Danny knows a little about you and if some guy named 'Gabriel' turns up dead, he's gonna come asking questions," she explained.  
  
"He's your partner; wouldn't he cover your back?"  
  
She didn't answer the question because, in her mind, it needed none.  
  
"So, you really think I'm cute?"  
  
She shook her head in exasperation. Gabriel trying to ferret out information was like a pit bull gnawing on a bone. Better make that a terrier. Not too small, not too large; perpetually tousled hair; inquisitive; and hyper. Hoping to distract him, she looked out the window at the lit store signs. "Are you going to feed me?"  
  
"Sure. Food soothes the savage beast and all that." He looked around and pulled into a McDonald's drive through. The only drive through that had a wait that early in the morning.  
  
Another terrier characteristic: he could be really annoying sometimes. Just like those little yapping dogs that Sara always felt like punting across the room because they never got quiet.  
  
Gabe ordered a selection from the breakfast menu for both of them and pulled around to the side window to pay. "I've got it," he told her when Sara reached for her wallet to give him some of the money.  
  
"Gabriel, you've paid for everything," she protested.  
  
"I'm the guy; I'm supposed to. Just sit back and let me shower you with gifts," he mock ordered her.  
  
"Gabriel."  
  
"I get breakfast, you get lunch," he bargained, not wanting even a small fight this early in the morning.  
  
"Fine," she finally agreed, seeing he wouldn't budge.  
  
  
  
"Why don't you ever bring a truck for the stuff you buy?" Sara asked as she sat down across from Gabe at a shade covered picnic table.  
  
"Well, for starters, I don't have a truck," he told her, gratefully accepting one of the hotdogs. "Besides, I'd have to drag everything around. It's easier for me just to arrange delivery for the big stuff and take the small stuff," he explained as he opened a large bag of chips that he had bought last night to eat with lunch today. He had gotten it from the car when he'd gone to stash their purchases in the trunk.  
  
"What was that. table you got? Weasel something or other?"  
  
Gabe laughed and took a bite of his hotdog. "Close. Possum belly bins. Basically, it's a baker's table and the bins held flour and stuff. My mom's gonna get a kick out of it; she loves baking."  
  
"Aw, you're a Mama's boy, aren't you?" was asked in a saccharine voice.  
  
"Not really. but if you say 'come to mama' I can pretty much promise I'll obey." He waggled his brows at her to show he was teasing.  
  
She blinked as a mental picture of Gabriel as a slave boy, dressed in rather skimpy leather and sheer fabric floated into her mind. She blinked again to clear the image and disregarded his flirting.  
  
"What made you get that stuff?"  
  
Sara laughed and took a sip of her soda. "Danny's daughter is a Barbie freak. Absolutely adores her. Jenny probably has close too a hundred dolls in all, if not more. I think Danny's scared of counting them out," she confided with a laugh.  
  
"Danny your partner scared of counting dolls?"  
  
"Not so much the dolls," she explained, "but what would happen after he did the counting. See, Lee, his wife, absolutely hates clutter and she's on a really big donation kick right now." she trailed off, letting Gabe's agile mind fill in the blanks.  
  
"So, Danny counts the dolls, she thinks there's too many, and Jenny has a tantrum when some get donated?"  
  
"Exactly," she nodded, pleased he'd caught on so quick.  
  
"So.?"  
  
"The suitcase is full of Barbie clothes for Jenny's dolls. The whole thing was $5, and I figure we can go through and toss any of the outfits that're unsalvageable."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Well, yeah. You're the one who brought me here, right?"  
  
He gestured to the throng of people around them, indignation coloring his tone. "But, but you've enjoyed the flea market!"  
  
"Yeah. Doesn't mean you're gonna go unpunished, Gabe." She reached out and patted his hand.  
  
"A Barbie doll fashion show. You know," he said mournfully, "when I think of you, me, and fashion shows, you're usually in something skimpy with lots of lace and silk or satin. Black, white, light blue. jewel tones featured pretty heavily too."  
  
Sara reached across the table and lightly cuffed him on the side of his head before finishing her hot dog and stood up. "Keep dreaming, Bowman."  
  
"Oh, I do," he assured her. "Every night." He stood up too and collected the trash from their lunch to throw it away. "You ready for the next part?"  
  
Sara groaned. "You mean we aren't done yet?"  
  
"Um, no. Flea market cum arts and crafts show? We've done the flea market. Now it's time to do the arts and crafts show."  
  
"Can't we just come back tomorrow?"  
  
"No," he answered in a stern voice. "If I'm already getting punished for waking you up as early as I did, I'm only gonna do it once."  
  
"Fine." Sara walked over to the small building that housed the food and got a couple bottles of water for them. Returning to his side, she handed him one and gestured. "Ready to go?"  
  
"Yeah. Oh, and we need to make a stop at the fresh fruits and vegetables too," he warned her before darting away.  
  
She followed him, muttering under her breath about guys who drank too much caffeine.  
  
After a few feet, he stopped and waited for her, automatically linking hands with her. Pleased that she didn't pull away, they started to tour the stands on the opposite side of the food building. They stopped in at whatever looked interesting, smiling and starting conversations with the people who not only made what they were looking at, but others who were there to buy the goods being sold.  
  
A small handful of people recognized and greeted Gabriel, obviously having either done business with him before or meeting him when his mother had dragged him to these years ago. Long memories, unless he still came here with family or alone. Or on dates.  
  
Gabriel pointed out some of the more humorous sculptures and odds-and-ends as they walked and occasionally stopped to look through a booth in depth. Black and white photographs were perused, with Sara buying one to be a Christmas present for Danny and Lee. Gabe found a stand with black iron sculptures and bought a small lizard one for his brother.  
  
They both bypassed most of the jewelry stands, only venturing near when something caught the attention of one or the other. Which is what happened at one of the stands, an original work silversmith. Sara looked carefully through the silver jewelry, her wanting to buy something obviously battling with her practicality. In the end, her practicality won and they moved away from the booth, but not before Gabe surreptitiously pocketed one of the business cards with a nod to the owner.  
  
They stopped at the booth of an artist who did impressionist work that vaguely reminded Sara of Claude Monet. The work was beautiful, not particularly her style, but beautiful nonetheless. The paintings looked like watercolors, but with bolder colors being used. While Gabriel went through the paintings one by one, Sara touched his arm and gestured without words to let him know that she was wandering down the row a bit more. He nodded and continued on his search.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, he rejoined her with a large, flat brown paper- wrapped package under one arm.  
  
"Going to show me what you bought?"  
  
"Sure," he answered before starting to look through a table that held glass paperweights.  
  
"Today?" she prodded.  
  
"Nope." He set down a cobalt blue and white bubbled oval carefully and grabbed her free hand to pull her away from the table. "Come on, there's only one more row."  
  
Sara shook her head and followed him; the man did know his arts and craft shows. Not that she was any judge, of course. A handmade white teddy bear wearing a dark royal purple boa as a tutu, matching ribbon on top of her head, and an iridescent butterfly on her nose later, they were to the last handful of tables.  
  
One of them held carved wood sculptures that were magnificent in the amount of detail that the artist had obviously put into them. Sara picked up a tiny bride and groom cause in an eternal dance and gently stroked the bride's skirts with one finger as Gabriel looked at a woman's face. Without even thinking about it, he pulled out his wallet and picked up one of the wooden sculptures and paid for it before Sara could even protest.  
  
Turning to her, he handed the carved cherry wood rose to her as he gave her a quick kiss. "For you."  
  
She blinked at the intricately carved flower and ran one finger along a satiny smooth petal. "Thanks," she whispered, stepping closer to him to give him another kiss.  
  
"That's what I like to see, romance!" broke in the man who had carved the flower, causing Sara to pull away a bit. Gabe just grinned and pulled her back to press a hard kiss on her lips that mellowed until they we no longer kissing, but standing with their lips pressed together. Gabe flicked out his tongue and ran it across her bottom lip before pulling away. "You're welcome, Sara."  
  
TBC  
  
Okay. that teddy bear? It's a real teddy bear, handmade. I have one only she's wearing pink instead of purple. 


	12. Riding

Here you go. the next part. Just a warning.. I have little to no experience with horses unless you count riding one at camp when I was ten years old. So don't expect this to be perfect, okay? My thanks to everyone who read over the first part of this and gave me their thoughts. You guys know who you are.  
  
  
  
Gabriel grinned over at Sara, who was grimacing from the smell of hay and other less desirable odors permeated the stables. He handed her a sugar cube before holding one out to give the one he still held to a dark bay gelding.  
  
Sara followed his example, holding out a flat hand with the small cube resting on her palm. She jumped a bit when the painted chestnut mare lifted it off her skin with its lips, revealing teeth in the process. Rather large, strong teeth.  
  
"She likes sugar, ma'am," one of the workers who'd witnessed her jump told her. "You have nothing to worry about; Beauty's a real lady. One of the most gentle horses I've ever worked with," he expounded as he ran a hand down her side.  
  
Beauty's tail twitched and her lips returned to Sara's palm, looking for another sugar cube.  
  
"Has a real sweet tooth, she does," he continued.  
  
"Obviously," Sara agreed, reaching up and running a tentative hand over the reddish brown of Beauty's nose. "She's well named."  
  
The man nodded. "My daughter Janie named her. Favorite book is Black Beauty. Gabe has Blackie."  
  
She looked over to where Gabe was petting a dark brown horse with none of the hesitation she was showing. Not that she'd expected it; he had, after all, been the one to suggest riding.  
  
"Ready for a new experience?"  
  
Sara looked again at the horse and nodded as Gabe's friend, the talkative Charlie, began to put a saddle on Beauty. Another guy put one on Blackie. Both she and Gabe watched the procedure interestedly before they were waved over to climb atop the animals.  
  
Gabe, the semi-experienced rider, scrambled up first and settled himself easily.  
  
Sara watched him before pulling herself up and straddling the horse with ease. Without the help offered by Charlie. When Charlie looked over at her with slight annoyance, she shrugged. "Muscles," she said by way of explanation.  
  
He nodded and moved out of the way as Gabe led the horse out of the building. Sara's followed quickly, and Sara jumped again when Charlie slapped the mare on her mottled rump.  
  
Gabe slowed Blackie down, letting Sara and Beauty catch up and ride next to them as they left the old-fashioned cottage-style building behind them and started on their way through Central Park.  
  
They were silent as they began: Sara getting used to being that high off the ground and the shifting cadence, Gabe watching her obvious enjoyment.  
  
"This is wonderful," she exclaimed. "Do you do this often?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not nearly as much as I'd like to. It's a nice break from everything, though. You look pretty comfortable."  
  
Sara looked around her and shrugged. "I am. I don't know why. I've never even thought of horseback riding. It was never something that seemed important to me."  
  
"Maybe that has something to do with it?" He suggested, waving towards the far from silent Witchblade she wore. It's stone was swirling with brighter colors instead of being the plain red it normally was when in the guise of a bracelet.  
  
Sara pursed her lips and considered it before nodding. "Makes sense, I guess. It's basically been proven that the Witchblade's been worn throughout time. We didn't always have cars."  
  
"Or bikes," he agreed. "I can just picture Joan of Arc riding into battle against the English in a monster truck."  
  
Sara laughed and shook her head. "Or Cathain tooling around Ireland on a Harley Davidson."  
  
"Maybe that's part of the reason you like your bike so much? Gives you the same type of freedom as riding a horse. You aren't trapped in a car."  
  
"Trapped? It's not like most cars are underwater or I get locked in against my will," she argued.  
  
"Sara, if you think about it, all a car is, is a metal box. One that crushes pretty easily, which everyone who watches the news has seen."  
  
Sara shuddered at the memories of car crashes she had seen floated up from the recesses of her mind. Not just the crashes that were shown on the news or that she passed while driving, but some of the more horrific end results of chases as well. "Thanks a lot."  
  
"Enough to make someone claustrophobic," he agreed. "But this." he hesitated and looked around them. "It's freeing in a way I can't really describe."  
  
"Not to mention that you really enjoy the sense of past times it provokes."  
  
Gabe shrugged. "I am a historian, Sara." With that, he urged Blackie into a faster trot. Looking back, he saw Sara hold into the reins and pommel as Beauty sped up as well. She gave a soft nicker, which Blackie responded to.  
  
"We should do this more often," she said almost more to herself than to him.  
  
Gabe's good humor heightened at the automatic 'we' that Sara had let slip out and he reached out to gently touch her shoulder.  
  
They made their way around Central Park on their horses slowly. Sara's competitive nature came out as she initiated the fast trots between monuments and sights to be seen that Gabriel explained much as he had when at the Empire State Building.  
  
  
  
Sara carefully made her way into her apartment and plopped gingerly down on the sofa with a glare in Gabe's general direction. "Remember how I said that we should do that more often?"  
  
"Yeah," he tossed over his shoulder as he made his way to the kitchen and put on coffee with the ease of familiarity.  
  
"I was wrong."  
  
"You're a first time rider, Sara. It's normal to be sore."  
  
"I don't care," she said flatly.  
  
Gabe shook his head and chuckled over Sara's predicament. "Why don't you take a nice warm bath? It'll help. Then you can change and get rid of the horse smell."  
  
"What would you do while I'm taking the bath? You're smelling a lot like horses too, you know."  
  
"I can always join you?" He made the statement a question to tease her.  
  
"Uh, no," was her only verbal response.  
  
"Can't fault a guy for trying, can you?"  
  
"No, guess not," she responded with a sigh.  
  
Handing the cup of freshly made coffee to her; he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I do want to take a bath," she said perhaps a bit wistfully, "but it's kinda rude since you're here."  
  
"Not a problem. I'll start the bath for you, then go home to catch a shower myself. I can always come back, bring some of my work with me to do until you're done," he added hopefully.  
  
Sara considered it for a moment, her yearning for the bath winning out. "Sounds good." She struggled up, gratefully accepting Gabriel's help up. He went into the bathroom and drew the bath, rummaging under her sink for bubble bath. Against all odds, she had some, and he poured a generous amount into the tub.  
  
Sara stood in the doorway and watched the froth multiply. The bubble bath had been part of a Christmas gift basket last year; one that she had only disassembled to put the contents away.  
  
When he turned and gave a sheepish shrug, telling her that it was more fuel for his fantasies, she held out a key ring.  
  
"So you can get back in," she told him by way of explanation.  
  
"Thanks. See you in a bit," he made his way out of the bathroom and finished what was left of the coffee before putting the cup in the sink. Grabbing his jacket, he took a detour by the bathroom to kiss Sara goodbye before he left.  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
As always. thanks for all past and future reviews! 


	13. Bubbles and sweet babble

Yep, one of the rating jumps I told you about.This one wasn't expected, though. There will be another one to look out for. Not a lot of people seemed to like the last chapter.. Hope you like this one more! Thanks for the reviews :-)  
  
  
  
Gabriel had a small carrying case when he let himself back into the apartment. A quiet but blatantly proprietary rush of male satisfaction made it's way through his system as he completed the ritual and locked the door behind him. "Honey, I'm home!" he called out, congratulating himself on not releasing the snicker of amusement that wanted escape. Sara's answer was a distant murmur that he didn't try to decipher. He grabbed a cup of coffee from the pot that was resting on the counter and looked over towards the bathroom door. The open bathroom door.  
  
Taking that to be an invitation of sorts, he bypassed the living area that he normally camped out in when in Sara's loft and made his way to the semi made bed. The sheets were spread out on the mattress, but still a bit crumpled. As if someone not quite awake had smoothed them out on their way out the door. Or to her third cup of coffee. He put the black leather case on the mattress and stretched out, starting guiltily when Sara's voice drifted through the open door.  
  
"I hope you're making yourself at home."  
  
Gabe looked at where he was, her bed, and considered the fact that he'd decided to stretch out without express permission and chuckled. "Yeah, you can say that."  
  
"You were pretty fast. What, you expected me to bar the door so you couldn't come back in?"  
  
"The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted with a chuckle as he pulled his laptop out of the case. He got up and looked around the bed for a plug to plug in the computer, finding one that had both a lamp and the alarm clock attached to it. "Mind if I unplug your lamp?"  
  
"Go ahead, just remember to plug it back in when you're done, okay?"  
  
"Sure, no problem." He unplugged the white cord and put in a black one before stretching out on the bed again and turning the computer on. As it went through it's loading process, he snagged one of the pillows that rested against the concrete wall and put it under his stomach. Settling down, he began to concentrate on one of the disks he'd brought from the shop that contained some of the ancient Phoenician history he had automatically downloaded to disk to go through at another time.  
  
Or he tried to. His concentration was broken by the sounds of Sara in the bathroom. Taking a bubble bath. One that was his idea in the first place. Smell was one of the sharpest senses for memory and he automatically brought up the smell of wildflowers and honey. It was enhanced by the faintest traces that wafted out of the open bathroom door on wisps of steam. If he stopped clicking and clacking on the keys of the keyboard, he could even hear gentle splashes as Sara moved in the water.  
  
It was amazing that she could break his concentration. Normally he was able to work through blasting background music, conversations, ringing phones, and screaming relatives. Now simply Sara being in the other room broke his concentration. Was this what the future was going to be like?  
  
It didn't help that Sara was in the other room nude. At least, he assumed she was nude. For all he knew, because Sara had known he'd be returning, she'd decided to wear a bathing suit. Like people did for hot tubs or saunas when they were expecting mixed company. Yeah, that's what she did. She expected him to be out here thinking of her completely nude when she was really wearing a bathing suit.  
  
"Gabriel?"  
  
He shook his head as the question broke into his thoughts of just what type of bathing suit she'd be wearing. "Yeah?"  
  
"You okay out there?" A thread of concern was woven into her voice.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Well, I don't hear any typing and you're pretty quiet."  
  
"I'm fine. Just trying to figure out where to begin," he explained.  
  
"You don't have to stay out there, you know."  
  
"I don't?"  
  
"Well, it'd be more comfortable than sitting on the bathroom floor, but it'd be easier to talk if you were in here with me." She paused before continuing in a wicked voice. "You did say you'd join me," she reminded him.  
  
"So I did," he murmured to himself. Leaving the laptop running, he grabbed a book out of the bag the laptop had been in, just in case she didn't want to talk the entire time. "Want me to bring you anything?"  
  
"Some tea would be wonderful," she answered.  
  
"Tea. The coffee queen wants tea," he muttered. One part of him liked this glimpse into the softer side of Sara. The other part wished she'd said coffee because it was already made and he could join her faster.  
  
A throaty laugh floated out to him. "A bath is supposed to be relaxing, you know. Tea is too."  
  
"I know," he called, setting the water on to boil. While it heated, he went back over to the bed and grabbed the cup of coffee he'd poured himself to drink. Once it was gone, he refilled it to take into the bathroom with him. By that time, the water was boiling and he poured it into a mug over a tea bag. Putting her cup on a saucer, onto which the tea bag could be transferred once the brew had reached the desired strength, tucking his book under one arm, and grabbing his cup, he made his way back to the bathroom.  
  
Only to stop dead in the door, almost losing his grip on the breakable ceramic he held in both hands.  
  
Sara's hair was piled atop her head in a loose bun from which tendrils escaped and curled against her flushed skin. She was leaning her head against a folded towel; her legs propped up on the wall above the metal faucet. The water moved gently, the fragrant froth playing an erotic game of peek-a-boo with him. Her body was obviously sans bathing suit unless Sara had one of those skin colored ones.  
  
"Gabriel, are you okay?"  
  
"Um, yeah," he answered, shaking himself out of his daze. He stepped forward and handed her the tea she had requested. "Here you go."  
  
"You're a prince among men," she smiled as she set the saucer on one of the sides of the tub.  
  
Gabe swallowed and moved forward slowly. Sitting down with his back against the cool porcelain, he resolutely admonished both his body and mind to behave themselves. At least sitting this way, he wouldn't be watching her, right? Imagine if he was sitting against the cabinet. He knew that if he was, he'd be unable to keep from staring at her whether he had his book or not.  
  
His book. Perfect. He pulled it out and opened it to the first page, trying not to concentrate on the fact that his girlfriend, the woman he loved, was unclothed less than a foot away from him. His attempt to ignore the fact was broken each time Sara shifted. He could hear the water sliding against her skin, imagine the continued game of peek-a-boo. She kept moving her legs, occasionally pulling them into the water before putting them back against the wall and he could see the white bubbles and hot water cascade it's way down her slick skin until there was only enough to meander.  
  
The smell of wildflowers was stronger now that he was at the source and basically on level with it. He swore he could feet the heat of the water on his back and he jumped when he felt a wet finger lightly touch the skin of his neck.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay, Gabriel? You seem a bit tense."  
  
"I'm fine," he answered, absurdly pleased that his voice stayed steady. The lone finger was joined by it's companions and they idly traced patterns on his neck, searing his skin with their heat before climbing higher to twine themselves in his hair. "Sara, is this part of my punishment? Just a way for you to really mess with me head? Frustrate the hell outta me?"  
  
She was silent as she considered it, one hand still playing with the dark strands of his hair. "Yes and no. I'll admit, it'd be a great punishment for waking me up so early and for the horses." She paused before venturing forward again. "But it wouldn't have to just be messing with your head or frustrating you."  
  
Gabriel considered the invitation for a minute before turning around and meeting her eyes. Dark eyes filled with seriousness, he nodded more to himself than to her. Then he committed himself to something that most men of all ages would shake their heads in horror for. "I think it might have to be." He watched as she suddenly became interested in playing with the bubbles on the surface of the water.  
  
Reaching out, he put two fingers under her chin and lifted her face so that they could see each other. When he saw her beautiful green eyes as wary as before with a suspicious brightness to them, he could have kicked himself. "Sara, it's not proof of anything wrong, okay? The invitation. It's mind- boggling. Delightful. You're delightful," he emphasized before leaning forward to give her a kiss. "I know that a woman has a lot more risks than men when it comes to making love. And it would be making love," he informed her sternly.  
  
He reached out his other hand and let it hover over the water, scented steam and heat rising to meet it. After a moment, Sara's hand breached the depths and he captured it in his own. "Sara, I'm," he hesitated a moment before finally deciding what to say, "honored that you chose me. That you decided I was worthy of such a gift. I just don't want to rush into anything. I don't want you to feel that you have to invite me into your bed and your body for the simple reason that we're going out." His thumb idly traced a pattern on the slick skin of her hand as his other hand caresses her face. "When we make love, I want it to be when it feels right to both of us. For it to be special." He captured a lone tear that attempted to make its way down her face. "Sara?"  
  
She shook her head and wiped her face with one wet hand. Laughing when he wiped away some of the refugee bubbles from her nose, she curled one hand around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered right before she kissed him.  
  
"You're welcome," he whispered back before shifting positions and grimacing. "It's good to know you appreciate me being such a sweet guy because, right now, my body sure isn't," he admitted before joining her in laughter.  
  
TBC 


	14. Sort, sort, sort

Well, the bubble bath seemed to go over well lol I'm glad. Here's part # 14... Same night, again lol  
  
Oh, I'm not taking notes from Joy, but we both seem to like Gabe as a sweet guy. I do kinda have her influences, though. My gargoyles just doubled today, so I have two. Where? You guessed it, the bedroom. They were by the computer LOL so now I have 10 photographs and two sculptures. LOL  
  
  
  
Gabriel looked across at Sara, who was lying on her side and propped up on one elbow at the foot of her bed. He was sitting Indian style at the head of it, a pillow between his back and the concrete wall. Spread between them was one large mound of miniature garments. The suitcase that had contained the virtual explosion of colors and fabric was resting on the floor, wide open and ready to receive the clothes that had to be washed. On the other side of the bed was a small garbage pail, ready to receive the clothing that they deemed too worn, stained, or damaged to attempt cleaning. "This is a whole lotta clothes," he said as he took a handful and let them drift back onto the mound.  
  
"They were pretty packed in there." She looked at the clothes and blinked. "We will be done with this before the New Year, right?"  
  
"Gods, I hope so. I have plans for then," he told her. Deciding to just dig in, he grabbed a couple of the minute outfits and inspected them, tossing all but one over the side of the bed to the suitcase.  
  
"Oh? Anything in particular?" Sara asked, obviously fishing for some hints as she followed his example and grabbed a few scraps of cloth.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm not gonna tell you. Don't even bother to try."  
  
Sara shrugged, knowing better than to push him. Gabriel may seem like a pushover because of his looks and easy-going personality, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He could stand his ground just as tenaciously as Sara herself could.  
  
"Am I going to get rewarded tonight?" The question broke into her thoughts and she looked over at him. "Food," he spelled out, smiling when he saw a faint redness steal over her cheeks. Who knew that Sara Pezzini could and would blush?  
  
"Oh, sure. What sounds good?" she asked as she turned her attention back to the sorting.  
  
"Greek?"  
  
Sara considered it for a moment before nodding. "I know a good restaurant that delivers. Want to call now or after we finish this?"  
  
"After. Can you imagine trying to eat while we did this?" Gabe shuddered in horror.  
  
Sara laughed and shook her head.  
  
Finally, the clothing was divided. Sara left Gabriel looking at a folded paper menu to the Olympia Flame* while she lugged the suitcase down to the basement where the washing and drying machines were located. Dumping them in, she slid the correct amount of change into the machine, turned the water on cold, and added the soap. Leaving it then, she made her way back to her apartment with the now empty suitcase. "Think of anything?" she asked as she walked through the door.  
  
"Their gyros** any good?"  
  
"Some of the best I've found," she answered as she stowed the suitcase by the door.  
  
"Two gyros with fries, Greek salads, and a bottle of their house wine sound good?"  
  
"Good as anything else," she agreed. "Don't forget the baklava and some bread pudding. It's to die for." He was picking up the phone to dial the number when she remembered something else. "Oh, and can you get extra sauce?"  
  
"Would you just like to order for both of us?" He asked in an exasperated voice as he turned to her and held out the phone.  
  
"No. I trust you to get it right," she told him sweetly as she grabbed the two mugs and rinsed them out for coffee before turning on the oven timer. She wasn't baking, but she found it to be helpful in letting her know when her laundry was done so she didn't forget it. After putting both cups of coffee on the coffee table, she flopped down on the couch.  
  
"Hi, yeah," he spoke into the phone as someone picked up. "Do you deliver? You do? Great. I'm at." He paused while the person on the other end of the line spoke. "Oh, already in the computer. I really should have known that," he told himself as he looked over at Sara who was sitting quietly. He concluded the phone call with their order and was told that the food would be there in forty-five minutes to an hour. When he sat down on the couch next to her and glanced her way, she shrugged.  
  
"I don't do a lot of cooking. You know that, Gabriel. Much as I love pizza, it can get old just like anything else," she pointed out.  
  
"Oh, I know. I'm just wondering how many places have you in their computer because you order from them so much," he teased as he reached out to her.  
  
Rather than evading his hands, as she would have even a few days ago, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "A lady never tells."  
  
"Well, then, it's a good thing you aren't a lady, isn't it?"  
  
She lightly slapped his chest with the back of one hand. "That's no way to talk to me," she warned him.  
  
He grabbed hold of the hand that hit him and lifted it to press a kiss on the back of it. "Sorry, love. You did walk into it."  
  
"I guess I did at that," she sighed. "This is nice."  
  
"Being finished with the fashion parade? I agree. Even if I did have a different type in mind," he joked.  
  
Sara laughed and shook her head before leaning over and resting it on his shoulder. "That too, but I meant this. Sitting here, having someone to talk to. Not having to worry about saying something or doing something, having to be somewhere."  
  
"So this is like a mini vacation?"  
  
"With some really great company," she teased, giving him a quick kiss before putting her head back.  
  
"Well, I'd hope you thought so!" Shifting so they could both be comfortable, he leant against the arm of the couch and drew her closer as he settled himself more firmly. The scent of wildflowers from the bubble bath earlier was faint on her skin, a small wisp of memory to the permeating smell in the bathroom. He nuzzled his face into her neck, breathing in the sweet scent. "You smell good," he murmured to her.  
  
Sara tilted her head to one side to give Gabriel more room. "I normally smell bad?" When his head lifted for him to answer her, she turned her own to give him a quick kiss and a smile. "I know, I know. You don't have to say anything," she told him.  
  
"Hey, up until a while ago, I never got to be this close to you. I had to content myself with just the occasional hug between buddies or the teeniest scent of our shampoo while we were sitting next to each other." He nuzzled into her neck again. "I like being this close to you."  
  
Sara tilted her head again and leant it back against his shoulder. "I like being close to you, too," she answered in a whisper.  
  
"You do realize that we're going to have to sort everything out again, right?" He asked a while later.  
  
Turning around and staring up at him with widened eyes, Sara shook her head. "Surely you jest."  
  
"Sorry," he shook his head. "You don't want to give her a bunch of identical outfits, do you? I saw a bunch that were the same when we were sorting earlier. Besides, you don't want to give them to her looking like they were fished out of the trash," he pointed out.  
  
"Who would have guessed you had a problem with dumpster diving?" she joked before sighing. "You're right, though. What am I going to do with all the extras? Do you have any nieces?"  
  
"A couple. I can take some for them, I guess. They're always looking for more clothes. They'd have daily trips to Toys R Us to update Barbie's wardrobe every day if their parents would take them. Luckily they have more sense than to do it," he chuckled as he ran his fingers up and down one arm before resting his hand at her waist.  
  
"Sounds fun," she mock grimaced. Before he could respond, the timer on the oven began beeping for attention. Getting up and shaking her head slightly at the cold feeling she had, she went over to shut the timer off. Grabbing her wallet from the counter, she pulled out $40. When Gabriel refused to take it, she physically opened his hand and put the cash into it. "My apartment, my treat," she explained before giving him another kiss and heading down to the basement where the mini clothes awaited.  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
*The Olympia Flame is a real Greek restaurant in my area. Their gyros and bread pudding are some of the best I've found in my area, and so is their rice pudding, among other things. Of course, in my family, we call it Family Square, which totally confuses everyone.  
  
**For those of you who don't know, gyro (gyros is plural) is a sandwich of lamb and beef served on a thick pita with onions and tomato. The sauce is usually cucumber yogurt. 


	15. Phone calls

Sorry for the delay. My muses have been focussing on another story, which should be posted early next week. Always assuming that I finish it on time. In the meantime, here's part #15 of Essential.  
  
  
  
"Hey, Sara, I need your help!" Gabriel's voice on her answering machine was laughingly urgent.  
  
Sara's half-asleep mind registered the 'urgent' part, which automatically sent her lunging for the phone that rested beside her bed. Bracing herself on the table with one hand, she was lucky that she hadn't gone sprawling on the floor, she punched the button that would turn the phone on. "Gabriel?"  
  
"Good, you're awake," he answered, satisfaction easily heard in his voice.  
  
"Not really," she returned with annoyance. "Wanna tell me what's so important that you call me at," she paused and looked at the clock before continuing with a groan, "8 AM on my day off? Especially since you only left about five hours ago. God," she muttered in realization once she'd done the math, "four hours of sleep is not enough to function on."  
  
"Can I help it if I missed your voice?" he asked half facetiously. When only silence met his question, he sighed good-naturedly. "Okay, not something you want to hear at 8 AM on four hours of sleep. I'll make a mental note of that."  
  
"Gabriel, why did you call?" Please, she urged. Tell me the reason so I can go back to sleep.  
  
"I already told you, I need your help. You're still in bed, aren't you?"  
  
Startled by the non-sequitor, though unsure why that was exactly, Sara looked over at the twisted sheet that covered her body. "Yeah, why?"  
  
"What are you wearing?"  
  
Sara closed her eyes and wearily laid back down. "Why?"  
  
"Curiosity. More fuel for fantasies. So I can torture myself with a mental picture," he instantly answered.  
  
"Just for waking me up, I should tell you I have something lacey and slinky on."  
  
"But you don't?" The question was asked in a mixture of disappointment and hope. He knew what she wasn't wearing, so what was she?  
  
"No," she answered. "Why'd you call, Gabriel?"  
  
"You're not being any fun," he told her, once again avoiding the question.  
  
"I'm rarely fun on four hours of sleep."  
  
"Oh, I dunno. I'm pretty sure that if I was over there we could find some fun things to do on four hours of sleep. You wouldn't even have to get out of bed," he offered.  
  
"Gabriel."  
  
"You ruin all my fun," he complained.  
  
"Actually, you're the one who ruined your fun last night," Sara pointed out.  
  
"Fine, castigate me for being a gentleman. Where's the mercy?"  
  
Sara sighed and forced her eyes, which had fallen closed, open. "Want me to hang up on you, Gabriel?"  
  
"No! Why would I want that?"  
  
"Then please tell me why you called and said you needed my help."  
  
"I'm going out later today and thought you might want to come along. You can help me keep track of everything. You know, put your cop skills to use."  
  
"It isn't anything illegal, is it?"  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"Can I get a few more hours of sleep?"  
  
"Will one and a half do?"  
  
"I guess it'll have to, won't it?"  
  
"Yeah. Oh, and you might want to call Danny to see if you can pick up Jenny for her to join us."  
  
"Jenny? Why?"  
  
"We're going to the zoo," he answered with excitement in his voice. "Sleep sweet, love. I'll call you in a bit to make sure you're up."  
  
Sara stared at the phone she still held, the buzzing of the dial tone easily heard. The zoo. He woke her up five hours after he left to go to the zoo. She dropped the phone onto the cradle and pulled the sheet higher. No doubt about it, Gabriel could be infuriating. Sweet, but infuriation. Admitting to herself that it was nice to hear his voice first thing in the morning, she drifted back off to sleep with a smile on her face.  
  
  
  
"Hey, Danny, what are you doing today?" Sara, after getting an extra hour of sleep, was functioning fairly well. She'd purposely bypassed the other thirty minutes for extra caffeine; a trade off her body was used to by now.  
  
"Why?" He asked suspiciously. "You want me to meet Mr. Mysterious? I finally get a last name to go with 'Gabriel?'"  
  
"Not exactly. I know that Mija's probably going to spend most of the day out or over at a friend's house, right?"  
  
"She's leaving in about twenty minutes. It's scary how well you know that girl's mind."  
  
"Do you and Leigh are spending the day with Jenny, right?"  
  
"We were planning to, yeah."  
  
"How'd you like a free babysitter for your daughter and some time alone with your wife?"  
  
"You're offering to baby-sit?"  
  
"Gabriel called earlier, invited me to go to the zoo with him. Told me that I may want to call you and invite Jenny along. I'm pretty sure there'll be other kids there," Sara soothed.  
  
"You want me to let a stranger watch my kid?"  
  
"He's completely trustworthy, Danny. Strange, but trustworthy. You doubt my judgement?" She asked, partially hurt.  
  
"Don't be absurd; Of course I do. Strange how?"  
  
"Umm," Sara thought for a moment. Danny really wouldn't get the mummy heads in a glass case. Not without meeting Gabe first. Maybe not even after they met. "Same way I am," she finally decided on.  
  
"Lemme talk to Leigh."  
  
Sara waited for Danny's final answer, idly sipping the rest of her coffee. Her breakfast of freshly baked raisin scone lay on a plate in front of her. The other one was still in the white paper bag they had mysteriously appeared on her doorstep in. Within minutes, Danny returned.  
  
"Leigh says it's a great idea and sweet of you to offer."  
  
"Sweet," she muttered under her breath. "I've become sweet."  
  
"Face it, Pez, Mr. Mysterious is good for you." Before Sara could comment on that, he continued. "What time do you need Jenny?"  
  
"Well, he told me I could sleep till 9:30, so I'm assuming we'll be leaving between 10:30 and 11."  
  
"We'll drop her off at your place around 10, okay?"  
  
"Sure, no problem. See you then."  
  
  
  
The phone rang again not five minutes after she hung up with Danny. Glancing at the clock, Sara picked it up. "Hey, Gabriel."  
  
"Caller ID?"  
  
"Psychic," she answered.  
  
"Something else to put in the Witchblade file I have going, huh?"  
  
"You have a Witchblade file?" She asked, diverted from the reason he was calling.  
  
"Sure. I keep files on everything I research in depth, why?"  
  
"I just. never thought you were keeping a file on it. Should I be worried about what's in it?" Or, more importantly from Sara's point of view, who might be looking for it that may hurt Gabriel.  
  
"Nah, I tell you almost everything that's in it."  
  
"It's that 'almost' that makes me worry."  
  
He laughed. "Nothing to worry about. I promise. You seem pretty awake now."  
  
Sara took another sip of her now refilled cup of coffee. "Another hour of sleep and coffee'll do that."  
  
"Great. You even seem to be in a better mood. That'll really help you coping with today. Jenny coming?"  
  
"Yeah, Danny said okay," she paused for a minute. "What do you mean, coping?"  
  
"Oh, didn't you know? This is a test to see how well you cope with lots of kids. Kind of a can-you-be-a-good-mother-to-my-kids thing" Silence met his statement. "Sara? I was only joking, love."  
  
"Right," she answered, feeling relief even if she didn't completely believe him. Mother to his kids? "Are we meeting there?"  
  
"Borrowing my brother's van. I'll come by and pick you up, then we can swing over to Danny's and pick up Jenny."  
  
"Oh, Danny's dropping her off here. We figured 10 would be a good time."  
  
"Perfect. Be there around 10:30."  
  
"See you then, Gabriel." Sara clicked the off button and absently laid the phone back on the table. Mother for his kids? Talk about a hit out to left field. Was that how he was seeing her? As a possible life partner? A wife?  
  
  
  
Gabe stared at the phone in his hand. The buzzing of the dial tone could clearly be heard. He wasn't particularly upset over the fact she'd basically hung up on him; he'd done the same earlier. Nevertheless, he was mentally kicking himself. Mother of his kids indeed. Perfect kind of thing to scare her off. It wasn't that Sara would be terrible with kids. Her reserve may be seen as coldness to some, but she was a warm person under it. Kids would probably see right through the façade.  
  
No, he was kicking himself for the test crack. It wasn't a test. It was just. fun. Going to the zoo with a bunch of rugrats to keep things interesting. Give his married siblings some time alone with their spouses. He'd asked after Jenny on an impulse. Jenny could have some playmates for the day and he may score some points with the as-yet-unseen partner.  
  
With a groan he dropped the phone on the cradle and shook his head. He didn't have time to figure this out right now. He had a van and kids to pick up.  
  
TBC  
  
This chapter is basically just layout for the next one.. Sorry if some of you found it boring! 


	16. Exercise and Minivans

Here's part #16 of Essential. Sorry it took so long. A new muse came out of the woodworks and he's been making it hard to write sweet Gabe. Hopefully the next part won't be as long in coming.  
  
  
  
"You know," Danny griped as he handed Sara a Powerpuff Girl backpack, "my daughter's gonna meet this Gabriel guy before I am."  
  
Sara accepted the pink bag and put it on the table. "Surprised you aren't sticking around."  
  
"We're going to have brunch with Leigh's parents and then the rest of the day is just us," Danny told her, the grin on his face telling her just what he had planned for him and his wife.  
  
Leigh elbowed him. "Ignore him, Sara. Thanks for taking Jenny."  
  
Sara shook her head at Danny's wounded look as he clutched his side. "Not a problem, Leigh. I'm not sure when she'll be getting home, but I'm guessing around 4 or 5. If it's any later, I'll call."  
  
Leigh nodded her assent as Danny knelt down to give his daughter a hug. "Remember what we talked about?"  
  
Jenny nodded seriously. "Be good for Aunt Sara and her friend and ask his name so you can run with him."  
  
Danny chuckled at Sara's outraged gasp. "That's right, kid. We'll make a cop outta you yet."  
  
Jenny giggled and flung her arms around his neck. "Bye Daddy, bye Mommy."  
  
Leigh shook her head at her husband as she bent to give her daughter a kiss. "Bye sweetie. Be good for Aunt Sara."  
  
"I will, Mommy." Jenny wandered to the table and climbed up on a chair to make sure she had absolutely everything she needed.  
  
"You know, if I wasn't having brunch with the in-laws, I'd probably be planted on your couch waiting for your Gabriel." Leigh elbowed him again as he stood up and he clutched his sided. "I trust you. You know I do! A partner has certain responsibilities and. Hey!" he protested as Leigh pulled him out of the loft.  
  
Sara chuckled and had closed the door behind him when she heard Jenny.  
  
"Sara, can I have a drink?"  
  
Sara turned and made her way into the kitchen. "Apple juice okay?" Jenny nodded ad Sara grabbed the container out of the fridge along with a couple of the plastic cups emblazoned with cartoon characters that she kept for the little girl. From experience, she knew to pour just a small amount of the juice into Jenny's cup before handing it to her. "Think you're gonna have fun today?"  
  
Jenny nodded after sitting with concentration. "I like the zoo. Aunt Sara, why does Daddy wanna run with your friend?"  
  
"He doesn't. That's just your father being juvenile."  
  
"Joove-nile?" Jenny did her best to repeat the word as she'd heard it.  
  
Sara thought for a minute before answering. "Acting like a kid," she finally decided on.  
  
Jenny considered the answer. "Like when he plays tag or leapfrog or tickle monster with me?"  
  
"Yeah, something like that," Sara answered as she choked back a laugh. Just what she needed: the mental images of her partner playing tag or leapfrog with the suspects.  
  
Jenny took another sip of her juice. "What did Daddy mean if he didn't wanna run with him?"  
  
Sara looked at the pint-size girl next to her. The kid definitely had her father's patience. Danny joked about raising his daughter to follow in his footsteps, but this was the first time that Sara saw the makings of a cop instead of a father's plans. "It's something police officers do," she told Jenny, deciding to try to explain it. "They run someone's name through the computer to find out if they did anything bad."  
  
"He wants to run him not run with him?"  
  
"Right," Sara answered as she looked up at the clock. "Finish up your juice; Gabriel should be here soon. We can meet him downstairs so he won't have to trek all the way up here if he already has his rugrats."  
  
Jenny giggled and obligingly finished her juice before jumping down to the floor. "I'm a rugrat!" She pointed to her bright yellow T-shirt that had Chuckie and Tommy from the Nickelodeon show 'Rugrats' on it.  
  
Sara chuckled and scooped the little girl up in her arms. "Yep, you're definitely a rugrat. And today, you're my rugrat!" Jenny giggled and grabbed her backpack when Sara leant down for her.  
  
Sara was sitting on a curb by a grouping of empty parking spaces and watching Jenny, who was play hopscotch on a faded line of chalk squares. Sara wasn't entirely sure, but she thought that one of her little neighbors had drawn it out yesterday or the day before. Maybe a friend? All of the tenants of the building kept this section clear of vehicles for small kids to play hopscotch or jump rope or be outside. It was by a wall, protected on one side, and close enough to the apartments for parents to be able to see their kids.  
  
Gabriel pulled up in a golden yellow minivan, eliciting a wry grin from Sara. Gabriel Bowman, driver of minivans. Even seeing it in front of her, Sara had trouble reconciling the man she knew with a man who was comfortable driving said vehicle.  
  
"I know, too suburban," he offered by way of greeting as he jumped out of the driver's side and walked around to open the front door and the sliding side door. Jenny raced over and scrambled inside the van, saying a shy hi to Gabriel and a chorus of them to the other kids as she found a seat next to another little girl. "What, you thought we'd be taking your bike and my bug?"  
  
Both of the adults chuckled as Sara leaned in and made sure the belt was buckled before giving Jenny the pack. Gabe slid the door closed and opened the front passenger side for Sara, gesturing her in with a small bow and a quick kiss on her cheek. The group of kids in the back laughed and squealed at the romantic gesture, the boys making faces that all too clearly said a resounding 'ew!'  
  
Sara shook her head and glanced back at the sea of small faces. "Just a bit," she told him, responding to the suburban remark as she buckled herself in. "No, I didn't think we would. I just can't. You aren't the type of guy I think about when I think 'van' okay? Not one geared towards kids without weird fabrics and posters and pillows in the back." Before he could comment on her teasing remark, she continued. "You sure about what we're doing here?"  
  
Gabe shut her door and went around the front of the car to his own, climbing in and buckling his own belt. "Not really, but it'll be an adventure. You like adventures, don't you?"  
  
Sara glanced over at him before looking behind her again, making a face at the kids. "Depends on if this adventure's going to be anything like the horseback riding one."  
  
"You liked it!"  
  
"During it, not after," she reminded him.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Everyone have your seatbelts on?" He sent the question back to the kids, all of whom chorused 'yes!' to him. Receiving the answer he was looking for, he checked the mirror for oncoming cars and pulled into traffic.  
  
"What's your name?" The question came from the back, causing Gabriel to look back at the small Asian girl in the mirror.  
  
"Gabriel," he answered easily, obviously used to the bluntness of children.  
  
"What about your last name?"  
  
Gabe glanced over at Sara when she groaned softly and wiped a hand over her face. The gesture alone instantly made him wary. "Why?"  
  
"So Daddy can run with you," was the answer.  
  
Gabe was still trying to figure out what the little girl meant when Missy, his ten-year old niece, answered for him. "Uncle Gabe's last name is Bowman."  
  
Sara's second groan, louder this time, caused all the kids to laugh even louder as Gabe made a mental note to ask what the name thing was about.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	17. Zooventures

Thanks to Natalie, who helped me out with redoing the Bowman family tree after it was destroyed. Also thanks to Blue, who helped with the Bowman family tree. Some things have been changed, but your help was great. My apologies for the lag, between real life, computer problems, and muses, it's been a weird couple of months. Hope everyone had nice holidays.  
  
Many thanks to all reviewers as well. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story; hopefully you'll continue to. I try to respond to reviews in email, but for any I missed, I'm sorry for that. Your reviews were appreciated.  
  
Part 17  
  
Gabriel turned off the engine and looked over at Sara. The detective's face was pale as she obviously reconsidered just what she'd been getting into when she agreed to be an adult chaperone for the day's outing. "It'll be okay, Sara. They don't bite," he stage-whispered, causing her to glance over at him and the kids to laugh out loud.  
  
"Show no fear," she murmured to herself, the typical phrase causing Gabe to roll his eyes before opening the door to climb out.  
  
Maybe he'd been over-estimating his detective's ability with kids? No, he'd seen her with Jenny in the parking lot. She was probably underestimating her own abilities. She tended to do that in situations where she felt out of control. He made his way around the car and opened the passenger door for her to get out before opening the sliding side door. Kids, already unbuckled and chattering excitedly, poured out of the vehicle. When he saw that Sara was corralling them he reached into the van and got two bags for the adults to carry before beginning to help the kids with their miniature versions.  
  
Sara raised a brow in question even as she bent down to help Jenny put her pink bag on.  
  
"It helps us keep track of them. They have toys and snacks for when we want to rest or they get hungry and the bags provide an easy handle to grab if they start to run off."  
  
Sara nodded in understanding, moving on to help a smaller girl.  
  
"Hi! I'm Emily. I'm four," she chirped with a big smile as she held up four fingers.  
  
"Hi, Emily. I'm Sara," she responded as she slid a bright green strap over the girl's arm until it rested on a bright orange shirt.  
  
"Mommy and Daddy say I'm not supposed to talk to strangers. Are you a stranger?"  
  
Sara laughed and shook her head. "That's a pretty good rule. You should definitely follow it. But it's okay; I'm not a stranger. I'm a friend of your uncle."  
  
"My mom says you're Uncle Gabe's girlfriend. Are you?" The almost challenging question came from the oldest in the group of children.  
  
"Yeah, are you, Sara?" Gabe echoed from his kneeling position.  
  
Sara glanced at him before looking back at the girl. "I guess you can say that."  
  
"Missy," came instantly.  
  
"Missy," Sara obediently repeated.  
  
"Mom and Grandma were right! Daddy's gonna be upset. He got mad at them talking about Uncle Gabe and told them to stop plotting his life and let him have his fun," Missy the chatterbox continued.  
  
"Do you play with Uncle Gabe?" The question came from the third and last of Gabe's nieces.  
  
Sara ignored Gabe's chuckled and looked over at the serious-looking girl who had wide eyes and startlingly bright blonde hair tamed into pigtails. "When he needs someone to play with, yes, I do."  
  
"Good," the blonde girl reached out and grabbed Sara's hand. "Can we go to the zoo now?"  
  
"You mean we aren't there already? We didn't come all this way just to turn back in the parking lot?" The question came from Gabriel and was answered with a chorus of groans and whines.  
  
Sara stood up carefully, extremely aware of the small hand lying so trustingly in her own. "Why don't we all hold hands? It'll help us get there."  
  
The biggest boy sighed and grabbed the hands of the two younger ones. "I've got Matt and Billy," he announced.  
  
Gabe shook his head and offered one hand to Joey, the other to Jenny. The small Asian took it after receiving an encouraging smile from Sara. Over at Sara's side, the blonde girl grabbed one of Emily's hands and Missy came over to grab Sara's free one, one of the identical small boys in tow.  
  
"Everyone have a hand?" Gabe did a quick head count as the kids all chorused variations of 'yes!' "Make sure you stay connected," he warned as they started through the parking lot.  
  
"Are we sure we know what we're getting into?" Sara's question was asked sotto voice as she looked down at the group surrounding them and did a quick head count herself.  
  
Gabe just laughed again, the kids joining in.  
  
  
  
Sara leant up against the wire and post fence that enclosed the petting zoo. She was outwardly relaxed, one of many adults in the area. Her trained eye kept watch on the kids that were running around the area. She was partly in charge of seven of them. Seven! She'd had no idea what she'd been getting into when she'd agreed to help him out. Somehow, she'd never pictured Gabriel as having a large family; it worked for him, though. Another layer to the man she'd always taken at face value. It certainly helped explain his ability to concentrate and work with a lot of noise.  
  
"Having fun yet?"  
  
She looked over at Gabriel and absently ran her fingers through his disheveled hair, dislodging pieces of hay in the process. He had been over with a group of kids, some their own, and some belonging to the other adults that were around the area. "It's been a while since I've been to the zoo."  
  
"It's been a while for a lot of things, hasn't it?" He ran the tip of one finger down the side of her face before leaning forward and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't worry; we'll remedy that situation as we go alone," he tossed over his shoulder as he rejoined the kids.  
  
Sara shook her head and chuckled. Leave it to Gabriel..  
  
"You should stick close and snatch him up first chance you get. Cute, good body, and great with kids. Definitely a keeper."  
  
Sara glanced over at the elderly woman that had spoken. "I'm beginning to see that," she murmured more to herself than the other woman. With a quick smile at her, Sara left her post at the fence to join in the melee. She was immediately greeted by Emily scrambling over, a kid hot on her heels. "Who's your friend?"  
  
Emily pat the baby goat on the head and lifted her arms up to Sara. "Don't know his real name."  
  
"Well, he's still pretty cute," Sara told the girl as she lifted her up and carried her to a group of kids.  
  
Emily nodded and wriggled to get down. Almost before her feet were firmly on the ground, she was off and running to join her friends.  
  
"They seem to be having a good time," Sara pointed out to Gabe as he gently extricated one of the twins from a hay fight that was getting a little too rambunctious.  
  
"Petting zoos are always a hit with kids," he agreed.  
  
"You seem to be having a lot of fun, too."  
  
"What can I say? I'm just a big kid at heart." Gabe reached behind him and pulled Joey off of his back.  
  
"So it seems," Sara answered dryly. She turned as Jenny came running up.  
  
"Can we stay here?" she asked Sara breathlessly.  
  
Gabe shook his head, having anticipated this question since they got there. "We can come back before we leave, but there are lots of other animals to see."  
  
Jenny pouted a minute before conceding. "Okay."  
  
Sara let out the breath she'd been holding. Danny had mentioned that Jenny was prone to throw tantrums more often ever since Mija had moved in and proceeded to throw her own teenage-sized ones. For a while there, she'd been half-afraid that Jenny would demonstrate her skill. "Why don't we go now? We've already been here twenty-five minutes."  
  
The twins shook their heads vehemently as they began to shout 'no!' at the tops of their lungs. Emily and Jenny immediately joined in and the three older kids stared at Sara in accusing silence.  
  
"We'll come back here. Promise. Don't you guys want to see the monkeys and elephants? The lions and tigers?" Sara asked in an effort to console them.  
  
"And bears! Oh, my!" Anya, the blonde with pigtails, said just before she began laughing. Those that recognized the line from the famous favorite of children joined in. The others did so they wouldn't be left out. Good humor restored, the kids allowed themselves to be herded out of the petting zoo.  
  
"Who wants to go see what?"  
  
"Snakes!" crowed Joey.  
  
"No, monkeys!" argued Anya.  
  
"Big cats," chimed in Emily.  
  
"Birds," Missy said in a clear voice to hold her own against the group.  
  
"Lizards!" the twins' contribution was given in stereo.  
  
"Pretty fish," Jenny said last.  
  
Sara groaned and glared over at Gabe when he chuckled. He'd known just what to expect when she'd asked that question. Now the only question was. How did they satisfy all of them?  
  
  
  
Gabe stood at the bottom of the slide to catch kids if they were going too fast. Part of his attention was on his task while the rest was divided between keeping track of the other kids and watching Sara. The detective stood behind the swing set, laughing and pushing Emily and Jenny. This had been a good idea. He'd had some reservations about it, but was glad he'd stuck to the original plan.  
  
She stepped back at a shrieked cue, watching as the to girls began a contest to see who could stay highest the longest. The contest was ended abruptly as Anya ran up and pointed at a self-propelled merry-go-round. The girls on the low swings began to drag their feet through the sand in an effort to slow down, helped by Sara's grabbing the chains. Joey and another boy quickly reoccupied the vacated swings. Figuring that they could propel themselves as high as they wanted with no problem, she moved away from the set.  
  
Gabe and his two charges joined her at the seesaws. He held his end down for Billy to climb on, smiling when Sara automatically lifted Matt onto the opposite side. They allowed the boys to push themselves into the hair, staying close to catch them even as they watched the other kids and the blanket and pile of belongings. The boys proving self-sufficient and demanding that the adults quit treating them like babies, they left the sanded area and collapsed onto the spread out blanket.  
  
"They're exhausting." Sara shook her head as she said it, humor lacing her voice and taking the sting out of the complaint.  
  
"You're loving it," answered Gabe with a grin.  
  
Sara nodded in acceptance of the claim. "You're right, I am. But they're still exhausting." Her statement was answered with a cup of cold soda being pressed into her hand. She took a sip of it, sighing in relief at the cool caffeine-laden liquid. "Thanks."  
  
"Thought you could use a recharge," he explained as he took a drink from his own oversize plastic cup.  
  
Sara nodded while keeping her eyes on the kids. "I didn't expect to have this much fun," she offered quietly. "I've never spent a lot of time around kids. Especially in a situation where the kids outnumber the adults."  
  
Gabe's answer was a quiet 'hmm,' non-threatening and non-judgmental, an invitation to keep talking. In his mind's eye, he could still see Sara stretched out on her stomach with Anya and Emily as the three of them colored in a book that Emily had brought.  
  
"It's never something that seemed. important. That I'd enjoy doing. If I ever thought about it, I saw it as a chore," she told him, trying to explain it in a way that wouldn't offend him.  
  
"And now?"  
  
Sara sighed and took another drink of her soda. "Now. I understand why Danny goes on and on sometimes," she answered pensively, unsure if she liked the answer even if it was honest.  
  
Gabe nodded, knowing not to push her. Sara could get defensive when she was unsure of herself, and today was simply supposed to be a pleasant outing to take her mind off her troubles. Kids were great that way; they made an adult focus on them instead of their own thoughts and problems. "Does that mean we can make this a regular thing?"  
  
She looked over at him and shook her head. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Bowman. How many brothers and sisters do you have, anyway? All of these can't belong to one woman, not with her staying sane."  
  
Gabe laughed and lay back, his head cushioned on one of the bags. "They don't. I actually have 5 siblings; three sisters, two brothers."  
  
Sara shook her head. "Your mother must have been glutton for punishment," she told him as she thought of her own childhood. An only child, she'd never felt 'alone' until her father had been killed when she was nine. If she'd had a family as widespread as Gabriel's, she never would have had to go through foster care.  
  
"She just liked kids," he answered with a laugh. "Missy and Joey belong to Lina, my eldest sister. Emily to Lorena, the next in line. The other three all belong to Sam, one of my younger brothers."  
  
Sara matched up the names to the kids she'd gotten to know that day. "Looks like your mom's not the only one."  
  
"Nah, we all like kids," he answered.  
  
"What about your other brother and sister?"  
  
"Josh is already engaged and Dad and all us guys would kill Jenna if she got pregnant." At Sara's startled glance, he explained that Jenna had just turned seventeen.  
  
Sara understood immediately, wincing as she thought what her partner would say if his niece got pregnant at her age.  
  
Gabe looked at the watch he wore on his wrist and decided that they'd had a long enough break. They still had quite a bit of zoo to cover before they went home for the day. "How's the Twitchblade doing?"  
  
Sara looked down at the bracelet in surprise. It had been quiet all day. No visions, no swirling. It just stayed on her skin transmitting a contented warmth that seeped into her veins. "Good," she answered, surprised at the truth. This was how it should be, she decided. Something that was a part of her.  
  
Gabe grinned and called the kids over to begin packing their bags back up. It was a fairly painless job that had minor squabbles over what went where until Sara laid down the law and told them that whatever they brought, they carried. Gabe stuffed the thin blanket back into his own bag and began to grab the trash from their lunch. Missy, Joey and Anya joined in and helped him carry it over to a small group of receptacles, one for trash and one to recycle aluminum cans.  
  
That done, they finished packing up and left the playground/picnic area to finish their adventures.  
  
TBC  
  
(hopefully on a more timely basis!) 


	18. Relaxation

Here's part 18.. Enjoy!  
  
Part 18  
  
"Night Leigh, night Danny. Night Jenny," Sara told the Woos as she gave Jenny one last hug before closing the door behind them. It was still early, a little after seven. She chuckled, remembering the look on Danny's face when she opened the door to let him and his wife in to pick up Jenny. The little girl had been sprawled on the floor wearing a ridiculously oversized hat that had had a seascape of soft felt fish perched on waves. Another hat, this one the felt head of a lioness, was laying abandoned on the floor next to her. Crayons were spread out on the floor and cartoons were playing in the background with Jenny providing the 'whooshes!' and 'bams!' as the trio of superheroes saved Townesville.  
  
Even more astonishing to the Asian was Sara's own acceptance at it: Sara seemed carefree, more at ease with herself. Especially in light of the fact that she'd spent the day with a bunch of kids. He'd half expected her to be downing a handful of aspirin as they got there to relieve her. Instead she acted like it was perfectly normal for her to have cartoons on while she watched his daughter.  
  
He'd absently tried to get more information about Gabriel from her, but it was merely a token effort; the pleasurable day had loosened him up. He wouldn't have let her take his daughter along in the first place if he didn't trust her judgement. He'd just ask Jenny for anything she remembered.  
  
"Night Sara. Have fun!"  
  
Sara shook her head at the comment. Trust Danny to expect something more. She flopped down on the couch and absently sought the remote. Powerpuff Girls and the Cartoon Network wasn't her cup of tea. There had to be something on TV that wouldn't annoy her. Maybe something that had enough plot that it wasn't drivel but nothing she had to pay attention to for it to make sense. The phone rang as she was flipping through the channels and she picked it up from the cushion next to her. "Hello, Gabriel."  
  
"Expecting a call, Sara?"  
  
Sara pulled the phone away from her ear and made a face at it. Immediately regretting the childish impulse, she replaced it. "Not really, Jake. What's up?"  
  
"You aren't being called to a crime scene or anything so don't worry about it. I was just wondering if you wanted to do something tonight." There was a moment of silence that Jake filled in before it could become uncomfortably prolonged. "Assuming you aren't doing anything," he added to appease her.  
  
She cleared her throat. "You decided to call me after seven o'clock on a Saturday night to ask if I wanted to go out? Just take a stab in the dark that I'd be home and hurting for company?"  
  
"I didn't mean you wouldn't have any plans," he clarified hastily. "It was just a thought. I found myself with a free night since my plans got cancelled."  
  
"And I was the person to call," she concluded dryly. Sara was sure that if she thought about it, she'd be insulted. It wasn't that he meant to put his foot in his mouth; it just happened naturally. There was no answer to her semi-question, the rookie detective on the other end of the line having decided that silence was the better part of valor. She sighed and decided to toss him a bone. "I'm actually kind of tired, Jake."  
  
"Too tired for a couple of beers and some pool? I'll even let you win," he offered.  
  
"'Let me win' my ass," she returned. The two laughed for a few seconds before Sara begged off the invitation again. Hanging up the phone, she resumed flipping through the channels on the muted TV as blessed silence filled her loft apartment. She relaxed bit by bit, not having realized how loud everything had been that day until that moment. Was that why Gabe blasted his music? You aren't aware of the noise if you don't have anything to compare it to.  
  
The phone beside her trilled again and she stared at the plastic instrument with annoyance. She was half tempted to turn off the ringer and let the caller continue to wait to be answered. It was almost certainly Jake calling back to try his luck at changing her mind about going out. The ringing continued and she groaned in defeat as she picked the phone back up. Clicking the button to talk, she answered by repeating herself. "I told you, Jake; I'm gonna have to pass. I'm pretty wiped."  
  
Laughter greeted her announcement. "Jake, huh? Seeing some guy on the side?"  
  
"Gabriel?" A surprise she hadn't expected crept into the question.  
  
"Expecting someone else?"  
  
"Gabriel." she growled warningly.  
  
"Guess not, eh? You obviously told him no this time. What about any of the other times?" The still laughing voice had a thread of mock worry in it.  
  
"Did you call for a reason other than busting my chops?" She asked the question brusquely, used to his teasing and knowing that he's continue all night if she didn't stop him soon.  
  
"Well, I dropped off all the kids and the van. Managed to get out of my family's clutched before they could pry too much information out of me.. I figured it was still pretty early and decided I'd try calling. Maybe see if you watched to catch a movie or go out to dinner. Unless you're too tired, of course," he teased her.  
  
Sara considered the invitation before sighing. She hadn't lied to Jake earlier; she was tired. She didn't want to go out. She just didn't feel like staying home alone either.  
  
"That hesitation sounds pretty promising," Gabe said more to himself than to her.  
  
"I am pretty tired," she stressed.  
  
"But." The single word was drawn out into a question.  
  
"Well, it is too early to crash."  
  
"Want me to grab some take out and a movie on my way there? There was a pause and he decided to sweeten the deal. "I won't even stay too long. You can kick me out anytime and go to bed nice and early."  
  
Even though she knew he couldn't see it, she shook her head. "Still have the key?"  
  
"Yeah," he answered. "I couldn't figure out if I should keep it because you never asked for it or if I should prove that I can be a gentleman and give it back either way."  
  
Sara bit back a laugh and asked dryly, "so you decided to keep it?"  
  
"What can I say? I figured that you know your own mind and I know for sure that you aren't afraid to tell others when you want something. Besides," he reminded her, "you already know I'm a sweet guy."  
  
Sara laughed and shook her head again. "I'll see you soon, Gabriel." He murmured his assent and they both hung up. Sara was left staring at the phone she still held. Shaking her head again and chuckling, she put it down and stood up with a soft groan. She probably had half an hour before he got here. Might as well put it to use.  
  
  
  
Gabe parked his car and climbed out to walk around to the passenger door and gather the things sprawled on the seat. Balancing them carefully with the pizza box serving as a tray on the bottom, he locked the door and shut it with his hip, a move that sent him grabbing for the videocassette. Making his way through the familiar parking lot to the front door, he absently looked around him. The area was mostly deserted, the kids who played there inside eating dinner, getting their baths and going to bed. The old men that used the stoop to the building as a meeting place probably doing the same.  
  
The only other occupant was a tall blonde that looked vaguely familiar to him. Did Gabe know him from somewhere? He watched the man out of the corner of his eye while carefully keeping everything balanced and fighting to swing the front door of the building open. Whoever the man was, he seemed awfully interested in Gabe being there. The man's bearing was alertly relaxed, something he saw in Sara. Maybe he was a cop buddy of hers?  
  
The door swung shut behind him and Gabe consigned the man to the back of his mind. The blonde wasn't, after all, threatening. Merely unusual. That was pretty normal in New York City. Ignoring the elevator, he began the trek up the stairs to Sara's apartment. The ancient lift ran too slow for everyday use, in his opinion. It was one that most of the building's inhabitants shared in.  
  
Reaching the top floor, he made his way to Sara's apartment and knocked on the door. There was no answer and he dug his keys out of the pocket of his leather jacket to let himself in. The apartment was lit by a couple of lamps and the setting sun, the light dispersing over the area to create a warm glow. He put his offerings for the night down on the kitchen table and shrugged out of jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. "Sara?"  
  
"Out in a minute!"  
  
Gabe shook his head and wandered across the room to the wall of windows that overlooked the parking lot and street. The man he'd noticed earlier was still standing in the elongated shadows. Before he noticed the man in the parking lot doing anything, Gabe heard a door at the opposite end of the room open.  
  
"Looking for something in particular?" Sara joined him at the windows and looked out over the small slice of New York City.  
  
"Just watching one of your neighbors." He noticed her beginning to scan the street and helped her by pointing out where he meant. "Seems to be waiting for someone."  
  
Sara looked down at the shadow her companion had indicated and frowned. The bracelet on her wrist came alive as it transmitted tingling across the nerves of her arm and she absently rubbed the skin.  
  
Gabe caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to her. "Twitchblade telling you something?"  
  
She rubbed her write for a moment more before consciously dropping her hands and smiling. "No, not really. It probably isn't used to a day of relaxation."  
  
He watched as she moved her hands to her side and nodded to himself in warning. They day had been enjoyable; the evening promised to be pleasant. He didn't want to push her too much and get her defensive. "Interesting definition of relaxation. Can I sign you up for next weekend?"  
  
"Uh, no," she answered with little hesitation. "Maybe in a few weeks. I think I need a while to recuperate." They both laughed and then Sara shook her head. "I meant no visions, life and death fights."  
  
"Wars, gun fire, martyrs." he picked up and continued the list. "That second trip to the petting zoo sure seemed like a life and death fight."  
  
"Exactly!" she chuckled. "Let's forget about the trials of sentient weapons and concentrate on having a nice evening?"  
  
Gabe nodded his agreement and reached down to grasp her left hand. Lifting it to his lips to press a gentle kiss on the skin right below the bracelet. "Behave," he whispered to it, only to draw back slightly in surprise when it swirled in response. "Oh-kay. I don't know if that's good or bad, so I'm just going to quit while I'm in one piece." He backed up a step and gestures to the kitchen table. "Pizza, subs, and Lethal Weapon awaits."  
  
Sara followed his invitation and moved away from the window with one last glance down into the parking lot. "Pizza, subs, and Lethal Weapon?"  
  
"Couldn't decide on one type of food," he replied with a shrug. "Whatever's left can be breakfast or lunch for both of us tomorrow."  
  
"Both of us?"  
  
He tensed slightly and looked up at the lightly asked question. As soon as he saw the teasing look on her face, he relaxed and ran a hand through his hair. "You had me going there," he admitted. "I'm never sure how to take you." Before she could respond, he changed the subject. "What do you want to start on?"  
  
"Subs," she immediately decided. "Pizza works better the day after."  
  
"When the lady is right, the lady is right." He grabbed two plates down from the cupboard and put two wrapped subs on top of them. He picked up the cassettes on the way to the main part of the living room as she grabbed drinks from the refrigerator. "I hope that Lethal Weapon works," he tossed over his shoulder.  
  
"They work fine. Which did you bring?"  
  
"All four. Didn't know which one you preferred."  
  
"By all means, start at the beginning." She put the drinks on the table next to the food and sat down on one end of the couch as he popped the first movie of the series into the VCR.  
  
"Thought these were a pretty safe bet. Haven't met a person yet who hasn't enjoyed at least one of them." He fast-forwarded through the promos until they had come to the opening credits. As the movie began, he joined Sara on the sofa and accepted the plate handed to him. "Thanks."  
  
"Thank you," she stressed the you, "for. everything."  
  
"Glad to be of service," he replied with a grin.  
  
TBC 


	19. Confrontations and Beginnings

Here you are. Sorry for the delay (again). Ran into some writer's block when it came to Witchblade. Well, when it came to anything, really. Hopefully that hurdle has been well and truly passed and there won't be as much of a wait until the next part. Thanks for the reviews, everyone. It's good to see that people are enjoying this story.  
  
Essential 19  
  
As Danny left the office shared by the three of them, Sara tossed the folder she had been studying down. It landed on a desk covered with such an abundance of similar ones that Sara could feel a too-much-paperwork headache beginning to pound at her temples. The growing headache wasn't helped by the antics of her partners. Danny was supremely pleased that a member of his family had been allowed to meet Mr. Mysterious. The fact that he had passed Jenny's radar was a definitely plus: his young daughter didn't like just any grown-up, whether they were friends with one of her favorite adults or not. Sara could put up with that: at least Danny was quiet about it. The main problem that she was having was the third member of their crime-fighting trio. "What's your problem today, Jake?"  
  
The rookie looked up at the question and shook his head, his normally mobile features tightening. "Why do I have to have a problem?"  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow at him; the movement making the rookie look down at the desk. "Jake, you've been acting like an ass all morning. What, did you strike out last night?"  
  
He raised his eyes and glared at her as a telltale flush rose on his tanned skin. "Something like that," he finally conceded, hoping that the answer would give her what she wanted to know. No matter how many times he repeated that there was nothing wrong, she wasn't going to stop asking until he'd given her an answer she wanted and accepted as the truth.  
  
Sara considered what the blonde said before disregarding it with a small shake of her head. "Doesn't wash, rookie. Even God's gift to women strikes out more than once in a lifetime. Surely you've had the experience before." As soon as the words left her mouth, she winced and shrugged an apology at the man giving her an affronted glare. "You know what I mean," she told him as she leant back in her chair and raised booted feet to rest on the desk before her. "What's your problem today?" As she waited for an answer to her repeated question, a memory from the night before came to mind: Gabriel mentioning the neighbor hanging out in the parking lot. Shaking it off and crossing her arms across her chest, she waited.  
  
Jake sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to get away with again proclaiming that he didn't have a problem. Sara was the type to grab a hold of something and worry it to the bone until satisfied. That stubbornness was what made her a great detective and a good, if somewhat annoying occasionally, friend. "I struck out, Sara. Honestly," he added as she gave him a skeptical look.  
  
"Someone you've been wanting to go out with for a while?" she probed.  
  
"No one special," he answered uncomfortably as he resisted the urge to shift in his seat.  
  
"If it wasn't anyone special you wouldn't be this upset," she pointed out with inescapable logic.  
  
"Fine," he conceded with a sigh. "It's a woman I've been interested in for a few months, okay? We've been getting along pretty good lately and I figured it was finally time to take the jump and ask her out. She turned me down," he finished quietly. "I went over to her place to see if I could talk her into going out, but someone else beat me to it," he muttered more to himself than to her.  
  
"And you decided to stake out my apartment," she offered softly.  
  
"That wasn't what I was doing! I was just..." he trailed off and stared at the woman he was talking to. "You know?"  
  
"I suspected," she answered. "Gabe noticed someone outside in the parking lot," she explained, leaving out the details of the Witchblade reacting as it normally did whenever Jake annoyed her. "What were you planning on doing, Jake?" Though she asked the question in a conversational voice, the thread of steel running through it left no doubt to the fact that she expected an answer.  
  
"Nothing! I was just going to try inviting you again; see if you'd say 'yes' if I was already there in person," he explained.  
  
"And not leave until I agreed?"  
  
"You don't socialize enough," he sullenly told her when she guessed his plan of action from the night before.  
  
"Jake, listen to me, okay? I mean this in the nicest possible way," she told him before plunging on with clearly enunciated words. "It isn't your job to make sure I socialize. I work with you, even consider you a friend when you don't pull stupid stunts like this. It doesn't mean that I have to accept invitations from you if I don't feel like it. You don't have a say in my private life. That's why it's called a private life," she stressed.  
  
"Okay, fine," he agreed a little too quickly. A silence followed the agreement during which Sara moved her feet back to the floor and picked up the folder she had discarded earlier, only to toss it back down when Jake spoke again. "So, that was Mr. Mysterious, huh?" he asked using Danny's name for Sara's unknown boyfriend.  
  
"Jake..." she drew it out warningly.  
  
"Come on," he wheedled, "what do you really know about the guy?"  
  
"Enough," she answered.  
  
"You've known him how long?"  
  
"A few months," she answered with impatience. "What, you don't think I can take care of myself?"  
  
Jake laughed at the absurd notion. If any woman was completely capable of taking care of herself, it was Sara. Her self-defense techniques were supernatural at times.  
  
"So it's not that. Okay," she accepted with a small nod, "then what is it? You see him put a body in the trunk of his car? Buy some drugs from the friendly neighborhood corner dealer?"  
  
Jake hesitated, wanting to say 'yes' to at least the second part of it but knowing that he'd probably be caught in the lie and it would only anger his senior partner more. "Nothing like that," he admitted finally. "It's just..." he let the sentence trail off, not knowing how to say what he wanted without sounding like an idiot.  
  
"Just what, Jake? Just that you're upset that he came over after I turned you down? Just that you didn't totally believe someone could be interested in me? Just what, Jake?" she repeated dangerously.  
  
"I worry about you," he admitted quietly, flinching in anticipation of the bomb he expected to be his response.  
  
Sara blinked at the unexpected answer and shook her head to clear it. "That's sweet, Jake, but I can take care of myself." He nodded acceptance of that fact, one which he already knew but which didn't stop him from worrying about her anyhow.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me you had plans already?"  
  
"Because I didn't," she answered as she picked her file up again. She looked over at him, shrugging to soften the brusque answer. "It's a lot different when someone calls you and asks if you want to go out and someone calls you to see if they can bring by dinner and a movie," she finally told him. "Never mind the fact that I'm dating him, not you, and he told me that he'd leave whenever I asked. Not whenever it was convenient for him."  
  
Jake accepted the dig with a grimace and turned back to his work.  
  
Sara followed his example and began to peruse the file, looking for the clue that would wrap the case up and that she just knew was there. As she searched, something occurred to her and she looked over at Jake again. "Hey, rookie?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I hope you didn't write down his plate number or anything to run him through the computer," she told him.  
  
Jake looked up, startled at the devious semi-accusation. "Nah, nothing like that," he told her even as he inwardly shook his head at the lost opportunity.  
  
"What's this about running someone through the computer?" Danny came back into the office balancing paper plates with their midmorning snacks, the ambrosia of a cop's life: donuts.  
  
Sara looked up and accepted one of the plates with a grateful smile. "Nothing. Thanks, partner," she lifted the plate an inch before setting it down on the covered desk.  
  
"Just talking about my chance to run Mr. Mysterious through the computer. Find out what type of a record he has," Jake offered in trade as he accepted his plate.  
  
"You got his plates?"  
  
"No," Jake mourned. "I had the chance, but didn't think of it."  
  
Danny shared a quick grin with Sara and reached out to pat the blonde on his head. "It's okay; you'll be thinking like a cop soon," he teased.  
  
Jake made a face and waved the Asian's hand away from his head, smoothing down his hair after the threat had moved on.  
  
"So, what's this guy look like? Why are you so sure he'd have a record?" Danny looked up at Sara as she poured coffee for him from the coffeepot. Sure enough, she was scowling. "Hey, I gotta get my information somewhere!" he defended himself with a grin. "Thanks for the coffee, partner."  
  
Sara shook her head and topped off Jake's mug; her green eyes flashing as she dared him to answer Danny's probing questions.  
  
"Young," came the answer. "Decent sort," he decided. "But the way he dresses... You'd expect something from him. He looks like a hippie."  
  
Sara, having refilled her own mug, returned the pot to the stand, and sat down, choked on the drink she'd just taken. "He does not look like a hippie!" she exclaimed when she could breathe again.  
  
"Longish hair, layers, and he drives a beetle, Sara. Sounds like a hippie to me," he affirmed before taking a bite of his buttermilk donut.  
  
Sara shook her head. "How many other people drive beetles in this country? Are they all hippies?"  
  
Danny shook his head and laughed as he divided his chocolate donut in half. Trading it for half of Sara's raspberry filled-one, he sighed. "I'm being completely left out of the loop," he mourned. My daughter met Mr. Mysterious before I did, Jake the rookie met him before I did..."  
  
"Actually," Jake clarified, "I only saw him outside of Sara's apartment building."  
  
"What were you doing, stalking Sara?"  
  
Jake's "no" mingled with Sara's heartfelt "please, god, no. One stalker's enough for any girl."  
  
Danny shook his head, his warm eyes reflecting worry at her stalker situation. "Well, Jake," he said in an effort to cheer himself up some more, "next time you see this guy, will you get me his plates?"  
  
Jake's laughter was almost drowned out by Sara's outraged "Danny!" that echoed through the office slightly as the Asian detective ducked wadded paper missiles.  
Lunch came and the trio had just decided that instead of facing anything that was growing in the break-room or anything from the fast food joints around, they'd go to Frankie's. A diner that had food that could appeal to everyone and had extremely fast service, a plus when you were on a police officer on the job, it was one of the normal places for officers to eat. They had just put away and grabbed their jackets when there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in," Sara asked warily. Gabriel hadn't had anything delivered in the past few days and she was hoping that the trend would be continued. She appreciated the gestures, and she had to admit that they were both touching and well thought out. To herself. The fact that they were delivered at the precinct was what she had the problem with. Some of the guys in Homicide were still teasing her as much as they dared about the flowers and everything else that had been sent.  
  
Her hope was not to be answered, she surmised as the door was opened to reveal an androgynous figure that she had come to associate with the delivery company that Gabe preferred. A part of her absently wondering whether he chose the same company for delivery of things bought at the shop, she signed for the package without bothering to correct the mispronunciation of her last name. She looked over at her partners as she put the box on her desk and grimaced, knowing that the stubborn look on Danny's face meant that they wouldn't be leaving the office until he was satisfied.  
  
With a sigh, she gingerly cut through the packaging tape with a letter opener and pulled back the four flaps. She leant over a bit and peered inside from above and slightly to the side, half expecting something alive to jump out at her. She wouldn't have put a kitten or a puppy or some other small cute furry thing being a gift from Gabriel. Instead, there was a smaller box, wrapped in a sophisticated twisting silver and gray paper. Lifting it out of the brown box and placing it under her desk, she glanced at her partners again, annoyed at the lack of privacy. Running a fingernail under the paper, she split it open to reveal a matching box. Wondering why it had been wrapped since the silver holographic bow could have been affixed to the box just as easily, she opened the second box and gave a gasp of surprised pleasure.  
  
Danny moved forward, his curiosity getting the better of him, and she sent a smile in his direction. Lifting out a glass ball, she held onto it while pulling out the ornate carved metal base that went with it. She examined the intricate carvings on the metal, running her thumb over some of it before setting it down on the desk and focusing on the glass ball. It was mostly clear, hand-blown glass as evidenced by the bubbles around it. In the center was another piece of intricate metalwork, this time a sword that had a blood red speck of color on the handle. There was a perfectly formed rose of the same blood red handle next to the sword, its' dark emerald green stem twined around the blade. Delicate streaks of the red flowed through the clear glass ball in never-ending spirals.  
  
She swallowed and pulled her long sleeve down to cover the Witchblade, it's own crimson stone swirling in recognition. Then she handed the glass ball to Danny, who was flanking her so that he could see what the latest parcel was. While he was looking over it, the beauty capturing his attention even if he wasn't sure of the significance of it. She peered into the box, wondering if this one was going to be like the majority of gifts from Gabriel: no real card. Instead there was the glitter of a sandy-pink colored card with gold embossing on it. Lifting it out of the box, she smiled at the simple three-word message proclaimed in raised calligraphy.  
  
I love you.  
  
Sara smiled softly and ran her thumb over the message. She glanced over at Danny as he set the bauble on the metal base and put the card face down next to it. The message was written on both sides of it, a fact that caused Danny to chuckle as the message was revealed to him. She looked over towards Jake, standing silently and uncomfortably next to the office doorway. "Lunch, guys?"  
  
"Sure thing, Pez," Jake was quick to agree, standing back so that Sara could precede the men.  
  
TBC 


	20. Issues & Lunch

****

Essential 20

"So," Danny began when they were comfortably settled in a table next to a row of windows, "going to tell us anything more about Gabriel?"

Sara shook her head and laughed at Danny's obviousness. It was amazing that someone so good at police work and interrogation could lack subtlety in his personal life so much. She was half tempted to give him a bone and tell him something else, just to satisfy him and so he'd be quiet for at least a few hours.

His answer came from their rookie partner, Jake groaning and tossing down the already memorized menu. "Do we really have to talk about this guy?"

Danny looked over at the blonde before turning back to Sara who responded with a shrug. "He has issues," she told him.

"Apparently," Danny agreed.

The waitress came to the table with her pad ready to take their order. Jake, seeing an easy out before the conversation got any more uncomfortable, was quick to give his order of a patty melt and large Mountain Dew. Danny followed with a turkey, bacon, and swiss on wheat and a glass of diet Coke. Sara gave her regular order of a burger and fries with a Coke, along with a second one to be ready to go in about thirty minutes. After the waitress left, Danny turned back to Jake.

"So, what's your problem with Mr. Mysterious, Jake?"

Seeing Jake shift uncomfortably, Sara decided to rescue him from having a bad lunch hour. That it saved herself from being interrogated for at least an hour was a fact that she savored as it occurred to her. She'd forgotten that giving him a bone wasn't the way to keep him quiet; he'd be so pleased that he had succeeded and gotten more information he'd continue to dig. "Leave Jake alone, Danny. Besides, can't we talk about something other than my love life? It really isn't that interesting."

"Well, maybe it hasn't been in the past," he returned, "but it is now," he answered with a grin. "Love life - implies something is going on there, Sara. Wanna talk about it? Confide in your best friend?"

She sent him a withering glare that made him lift both hands in defense. "Hey, hey. Okay, we'll drop it," he agreed as their drinks were brought out.

Jake sent Sara a grateful glance, surprised that she had come to his defense when she had to still be annoyed with him for showing up at her loft the night before. Sara wasn't a woman who easily forgot things that angered her. Unless, of course, his showing up hadn't been the thing that had bothered her; just his thoughts on her not socializing enough.

"So, Jake, seeing anyone?"

Sara rolled her eyes at the faux pas. Danny may be unsubtle at times, but he wasn't the type to intentionally hurt someone. He definitely hadn't been listening in when he was out of the office. Not that he would have necessarily eavesdropped when he left the office earlier; she just didn't know how long he'd been standing at the door before interrupting.

"Uh, no," came the answer as Jake took a long drink of his Mountain Dew. "There was someone I was interested in, but I don't think it's mutual."

Danny nodded in understanding. "I hear that. But you have to remember that persistence pays off."

Sara, taking a drink from her own soda, choked as it went down the wrong tube. As Danny reached over and patted her back, she glanced at Jake and saw a wistfully hopeful face. Accepting the proffered napkin, she wiped her watering eyes. "Sorry, she gasped, "things just seem to be going down wrong today." Both of her partners nodded in understanding and watched as she took a cautious sip. It was swallowed without a problem and Jake smiled encouragingly.

"So, Danny," started Jake, eager to change the subject to something a little less volatile, "how's Lee doing? She still craving cookies?"

Danny laughed and accepted the plate offered to him by the waitress. "Yeah, but she still has some. Sara, want to do any baking anytime soon?" At her soft groan of exasperation, he chuckled. "Hey, if you'd give her a copy of the recipe..."

"I promised Marie! Geez, his wife's pregnant and now he's trying to steal a secret family recipe from me," she muttered under her breath before giving a quick "thank you" to the waitress as her hamburger was placed in front of her.

"Hey, I was just saying..."

"Don't worry, Danny; I'll make more cookies for Lee. Your peaceful home-life is safe."

"Thank you," he answered fervently. "I don't know where you got the idea of my having a peaceful home-life," he mused. "A small child and a teenager with attitude living under the same roof... No, no peace in sight there."

"Oh, does that mean I don't have to make the cookies?"

"No!" Danny looked over at her with semi-mocked horror in his face. "Pregnant women can be scary if their cravings aren't satisfied," he told her in a whisper as Jake shook his head.

"'Bout as scary as armed women with PMS?" he asked, grinning at the affronted glare that Sara gave him. "Come on, Pez; did I name you or anything like that?" When the glare didn't abate, he blinked slowly and gave her his most innocent looking face.

She answered by shaking her head at the look he was playfully trying to convince her was real. "I don't think you've ever had an innocent bone in your body, rookie."

Danny snickered and shook his head at the vaguely hurt look Jake gave him. "Sorry, Jake, but I gotta agree with Sara."

The blonde made a face at both of them and dug into his patty melt. The others followed suit with their own food, wanting to get finished so they could once again tackle paperwork and possibly a call later that afternoon. 

Sara stopped eating first with half of her meal still on the plate. "Hey, guys?"

Danny looked over with a knowing look on his face. "You want to know if you can meet us at the office?"

"Yeah," came the soft answer as she averted her green eyes slightly.

"Don't be too late, okay, Pez? Give Gabriel my regards," Danny grinned as a pale pink tinged her face.

"Okay," was the only answer as she slid out of the booth and made her way towards the counter to pay for her food. After paying the bill and accepting the Styrofoam container, she began a brisk walk the couple blocks back to the precinct where her motorcycle still was.

Twenty minutes later she pulled up in front of Gabe's apartment building and climbed off her bike. She wouldn't be back at the office too late; there were times the advantages of having a bike instead of a car were great. Her helmet in one hand and the food container in the other, she juggled them to open the entrance and made her way to his home/place-of-business. There was no music blasting from behind the closed door, and she knocked with one booted foot. The door swung open moments later to reveal a grinning Gabe.

"Hi!" He leant forward and gave her a quick but heated kiss before turning back to the casually dressed couple that occupied the shop and continuing where he'd been before having to answer the door. "This wall hanging," he began as he picked up a woven piece of cloth was taken from the shelf and unfolded it, "is from Greece and approximately 350 years old. It depicts a Nereid, a sea nymph, that was the sailors' favorite deities because it was believed they protected them from shipwrecks." He shook it out slightly and lifted it for them to see.

Sara silently moved past them and made her way to the small kitchen. Her progress paused for a moment as Gabe reached out and briefly gave a gentle squeeze to her waist while still talking on the subject of Greek mariners and the depiction of the Nereid. Sara shook her head once again at the encyclopedic amount of information he had stored n his mind. Once in the small kitchen, she searched through the cupboards for his dishes, finding a set of cheerfully colorful plates in one of them. Deciding that they were definitely something that she could see Gabe owning, she pulled one of them down and placed it next to the container of food. 

She glanced over to him when he was walking towards the only unoccupied surface in the apartment with the couple. Spreading the hanging out so that they could appreciate the full size, he flicked a switch and the table was lit by bright overhead lights. The lights allowed the pair to see the true colors used when making the piece, and Gabe flipped over a corner and began to talk about he weaving technique used. Unsure of how much longer he'd be occupied, Sara looked at the container of food and then her watch with a grimace. She would have liked to stay longer and talk to him, thank him properly for his beautiful gift, but she didn't have the time. 

She grabbed a napkin from a small collection that was housed in a brightly painted holder and pulled out her pen. With the tip poised over the paper, she hesitated, unsure of what to write. Finally, with a shake of her head, she sprawled a quick note and placed it on top of the plate. The white square looked out of place on the bright colored ceramic as she left it on the counter. With a quick wave to get his attention, she mouthed 'goodbye' and left the apartment.

She had just made it outside and was walking towards her bike when her name was called from inside the building. Turning around, she saw Gabriel heading her way. "Don't you have to stay with your customers?" she asked when he was close enough to hear her.

"They're talking about the possibility of their daughter liking the hanging," he dismissed. "Besides, Mr. Carmichael told me to leave and 'give my girl a proper kiss,'" he said in a deep voice and inflection that led Sara to believe it was indeed a direct quote.

"You're leaving two total strangers in your shop, in your apartment, alone?" Sara raised an eyebrow at how trusting and, she had to admit, naive, the action seemed.

"I know everything that's there," he answered with a shrug. "Sometimes you have to trust people, Sara. They just might surprise you." At her dry look, he chuckled. "Even cops have to trust people. Just because you see the worst in people doesn't mean you can't also see the best." He moved closer, invading her personal space. "Thanks for brunch," he said as he reached out and drew the back of his hand gently down the side of her face.

"Brunch?"

"Yeah, haven't had breakfast yet," he answered.

"Gabriel!" Her eyes widened as she caught his hand. "You have to eat."

"You sound just like my mother when you say that," he said with a laugh. As she began to withdraw her hand, he turned his own so that it was holding hers, blocking the attempt. "Hey, nothing to be ashamed of," he told her. "It just means that you worry and a person worries because they care." He moved their connected hands to her chin, gently raising her face to look into her eyes. "I'm glad that you worry about me," he said, watching as the soft whisper transformed her face and softened her green eyes.

In answer, she gave a small smile and leant forward to give him a quick kiss. "I'm glad you worry about me, too," she whispered against his lips before drawing back.

Pulling her forward again, he initiated another kiss, one that started gentle and built until it was virtually exploding with a passion neither had fully acknowledged. Drawing back slightly to allow them both to breathe, Gabriel looked into her eyes, smiling at the partially unfocused dreamy look in them. It matched the one in his own, he knew. "See you tonight? Maybe go out to a nice restaurant?" He ran his fingers through her chestnut hair and down the side of her neck, grinning slightly when her pink lips parted in a sigh. 

"Mmm, definitely," was his softly spoken answer.

He stole another quick but passionate kiss before murmuring with regret "I have to get back to the shop." Instead of leaving immediately, he ran the tip of his index finger along her bottom lip. "I'll see you tonight," he reminded her before turning to leave. Turning back when he reached the door leading into the building, he called just loud enough for her to hear him: "I love you," before disappearing behind the closing door.

Sara raised her hand and touched her lips softly, the Witchblade swirling pleasantly as she did. With a gentle shake of her head and a reminder that she had to get back to work, Sara continued her aborted walk to her bike. On the way, she noticed an older man with long straggly blonde hair watching her from across the street where he was sweeping.

TBC

Did that satisfy all of you readers who have been wanting romance? Or would you like more in the next part?


	21. Planning

Thanks for the reviews!
    

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Essential 21

Gabriel listened with one ear as the Carmichaels continued to discuss the merits of the wall hanging he'd originally shown them. Would Amelia like it? Is it too large? Would it work in her new apartment? Tuning their private conversation into background noise, he kept an ear open for any questions they may ask him as he began to plan that night's date. Sara hadn't reciprocated his 'I love you' before he'd left her outside; he purposely hadn't waited, not wanting to hear anything negative. His thoughts were interrupted by a quietly asked,

"Do you have anything else along this theme, Mr. Bowman?"

"Please, call me Gabriel," he repeated what he'd said earlier with a grin. "I'm afraid that I don't have anything else depicting the Nereid," he told them apologetically, "but I do have other 'fantastic animals' and things dealing with mythology that I can show you," he offered.

"Those would be perfect," the well-dressed woman answered.

Gabe nodded and thought over what he had in the shop. "Why don't we move over to the computer? I have pictures of my entire inventory scanned so that I can put them on the website. I can pull up anything that I think might work and you can choose things to see from there," he offered. "The shop isn't exactly set up for customers to browse for specific things," he explained. "Most of my customers order from the website and either pick up the merchandise or I have it delivered."

"Would it be more convenient...?" Mrs. Carmichael began only to be interrupted by a grinning Gabriel.

"It's no problem," he answered. "You're already here," he pointed out as he made his way to the table he used as a desk. His own office chair was flanked by another one and he went to grab a second from where it sat next to another table. "Please, sit down," he said as he gestured towards the two chairs.

"Thank you," murmured Mrs. Carmichael.

"No problem," he answered. "Do you have anything specific you'd like to look at?" he offered as he pulled up his website. If they found something there and wanted to see more pictures, he could find them on the disk. "A specific price range?" he asked to narrow down the search.

"Mythology and fantastic animals," came his answer. "Mermaids, dragons, etc. No real price range. If it's quality goods and worth the money, we'll gladly pay it," Mr. Carmichael told him, a thread of warning running through his voice.

"My prices are always fair," Gabriel told him, not taking offense at the minor insinuation since he was well aware of so-called antique dealers and small business owners who cheated their customers. That he was unexpectedly young was another mark against him in the eyes of some clients. "I've also made sure that anything I'm selling is the real thing; they've been checked out by experts other than myself."

"Christopher," came the softly spoken rebuke before the brunette turned towards Gabriel. "I should apologize for my husband," she offered quietly.

Gabriel chuckled and shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it; I like people who make sure of what they get." He flipped through the website, his state-of-the-art computer pulling up the pages quickly. "This," he told them as he scrolled down to a carved piece of oval stone, "is a typical sixteenth century carving of a dragon. It stands two feet high, has a width of one foot, a depth of three inches, and weighs approximately half a pound." He leant back to allow them to see the picture. When the man shook his head, citing that their daughter already had something similar, Gabriel began to search again. "She has an interesting hobby," he told them.

"She's always been fascinated by mythology and animals from the past," the woman explained. "She'd spend hours with her nose stuck in a book while the other children her age were outside playing."

Gabriel laughed silently at the accurate description of himself as a teenager; he'd only gone out and played if his siblings had dragged him.

"What's that?"

He stopped the slow scroll and backed up a little to click on the picture. "This is a gargoyle that was taken from an English castle when it was torn down. Many of the old castles have fallen into disrepair and it was decided that this one couldn't be repaired. Because it was deemed a hazard, it was dismantled after extremely careful checks by historians." He showed the couple the statue, explaining that it was solid carved stone and telling them the dimensions.

"I'm sure that she'd love it, but where on earth could she put it? It seems a bit large for a piece of coffee table art," the woman said worriedly.

"If you decide that you are interested in it," Gabriel told them, "I know someone who makes pedestals from a variety of materials. You could purchase one of his ready-made pieces or have one commissioned."

"Could we see that gargoyle?"

"Of course," he answered as he stood up and made his way to one of the crowded metal shelving units. He bent down, having put the heavier pieces on the bottom, and pulled it out slowly. The lights cast shadows over the surface of the unwrapped stone sculpture. Carrying it over to the table still occupied by the Nereid wall hanging, he flipped the cloth into so that it was out of the way and set the stone down on the table before stepping back so they could examine it. As they did, he pulled the wall hanging off the table and began to fold it.

"It's rather... worn," the man said doubtfully, a sentiment that his wife immediately dismissed. 

"That's just part of his charm, Christopher." She hesitated and looked back to Gabriel.

Taking the hint, he murmured something and left them to relative privacy as he absently returned the woven cloth to the shelf it had originally came from. Hoping that they would make up their minds soon so that he could plan without distractions, he sat down at his computer and logged into his email, seeing if there were any orders. He was in luck: there were two from long-time buyers of his. Knowing that both of them preferred to pick up their own merchandise, and use the opportunity to nose around a little in the stockpile of rare and interesting things Gabriel's home housed, he emailed them back to set up appointments on whatever day and time was convenient for them. Not wanting to lose potential customers, he then accessed the website and put small 'SOLD' signs on what they had bought. The pictures would be taken down when they had paid and picked up the pieces; until then, the sign would keep others from expressing interest.

"Excuse me?"

Gabriel turned to look at the two customers he had left to debate which gift they wanted to give their daughter. "Have you made a decision?" he asked as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in and turned towards them.

"Yes," replied the man. "We'll take both," he told the young businessman.

"She's a lucky girl," was the answer he gave as he went and got the wall hanging from the shelf he had placed it and put it on the table the gargoyle still occupied. From there, he went to a small recess in the wall that he had closed off with a silk Chinese screen and took two flattened boxes out. He carried them to the table and opened them up, sealing the flaps in the bottom with packaging tape that had been stored under the table. He placed the wall hanging in the first, flatter box, before putting the gargoyle in the taller, thinner one. It was the perfect size; he was able to put the statue in the box without too much difficulty, but there wasn't enough room for it to wobble too much. He sealed the tops with the clear brown packaging tape he had used on the bottoms and turned to the Carmichaels. "How would you like to pay for them?"

"Check," came the answer and Gabriel busied himself with the normal, rather tedious aspects of the transaction. When they were finished, he put the check on his keyboard and wrote out a receipt, which he handed to the man. He also pulled a small leather case out of his top drawer and opened it to reveal a multitude of business cards. Searching them quickly, he found a marbled gray card that he paired with one of his more colorful ones and handed them to the man. "Here's my business card and the card for Jacob Harris. He's the man I mentioned earlier, who makes pedestals," he explained.

"Thanks," the man said, tucking both cards into his pocket.

"Would you like help getting everything down to the car?" Gabe offered.

"We can manage," Mr. Carmichael answered as his wife picked up the smaller box. 

She watched her husband heft the second box and smiled over at Gabriel. "Thank you," she said before continuing with "we'll be sure to use your website next time instead of coming in directly."

Gabe grinned an answer and shrugged slightly as he opened his apartment door for them. "Whichever way works best for you."

She was trailing her husband out the door when she turned back to him. "Would you like to come to Amelia's birthday party? I'm sure she'd love to meet the man who has such an interesting business."

He hesitated, flattered at the invitation but unsure if he should go. "Thanks," he finally said before, "but I'm going to have to see if I can make it,"

"Of course," she accepted. "I'll phone you with the details," she hastily added as her husband called for her.

Gabriel closed the door as she hurried out and shook his head before going back to his desk. He stored the check Christopher Carmichael had written in the same worn brown envelope that he stored all checks-to-be-cashed in and made his way to the kitchen. There, waiting for him under one of the bright multicolored plates his second-oldest sister had gotten him for Christmas, was a Styrofoam box that the delicious smells that had permeated the small room originated from. He moved the food onto the plate, taking the bun from the hamburger and putting it back in the box, so that he could microwave it. As it was heating, he went to his stereo system and turned the music back on. Sounds from the seventies immediately filled the apartment.

When it was done, he grabbed his food and made his way into the portion of the apartment that he had designated his living area. The controlled chaos evidenced in his shop was still present but slightly tamed by floor-to-ceiling bookcases that covered most of one wall. Ignoring the filled shelving, he sat down on his comfortable couch and began absently eating his meal.

He'd meant what he said to Sara; he was happy she cared enough to worry and to make sure he ate. That was part of the reason he'd been making sure to take over food when they got together. With a schedule as hectic as hers could be, a supernatural weapon that basically controlled her life, and all the other worries she had, he didn't doubt she occasionally skipped meals. He would have been surprised if she didn't. So he had become a food monitor, of sorts: show up with the natural icebreaker of food, distract her with conversation, and get some nutrients into her sometimes over-taxed body. Nothing could be simpler, right?

He hadn't expected her to reciprocate. Why, he wasn't entirely sure. Sara had made her work her life, her friends her family. Someone took care of their family, chosen or blood. As Sara had no blood relatives to focus on, it was natural to her want to take care of her friends. Wanting to take care of people was one reason he'd always suspected she'd become a cop in the first place.

He finished his meal and went back to the kitchen to wash his plate, grinning at the domestication his mother had forced on him when he was a teenager. Against all odds, it had stuck and taken root. Finishing and putting the now clean but wet plate in the drainer, he made his way back to his computer. He still had the research that the Carmichaels' had interrupted to complete. Before he began it, however, he changed his website, reflecting that the items bought were no longer for sale. Then he picked up his phone and called Sara's cell phone.

"Sara Pezzini's cell phone," answered an unfamiliar male voice. "She can't come to the phone right now," it cheerfully continued, "but if you'd like to leave your name, number, and a brief message after the tone, I'll make sure she gets back to you. Beeeeep!"

"Uh, hi," he said uncertainly. Sara letting someone else have access to her cell?

"Give me that," came in another unfamiliar masculine voice, as there was a small scuffle in the background. "Sorry," the second voice finally apologized. Sara's away from her phone at the moment."

"I... got that," he answered after a small hesitation. "Um, can you just tell Sara that I was thinking of some place that's nice and I'll see her around... eight?" he finally asked, figuring he could use the time to get some work out of the way

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks, bye," he said before hanging up. The two men who'd answered must have been her partners. She wouldn't trust just anyone with her cell; Sara wasn't that kind of person. He made a couple more calls that were over quickly before sitting down to work. Sara was used to seeing goofy laid-back Gabriel Bowman; tonight, she'd see a whole new side of him.

TBC

How's that for a teaser? hehe


	22. Angelique's AKA: The Date: Part 1

I had some trouble writing this part... mostly due to Gabe's choice of clothes. Hopefully it's believable, he didn't come across as being possessed, and you like it.

Essential 22

Gabe stood in front of the bathroom mirror and grimaced. He was wearing part of the suit that Lina and his mother had helped him to pick out and buy on the basis that a successful businessman had at least one suit in his closet. Whether he wore it often or not. Gabriel's dark blue suit spent the majority of its life with him living in the back of his closet under a protective plastic bag. As he looked at his reflection, he was glad that he'd eventually followed his mother's advice on getting a classically lined suit instead of a trendier one. He didn't wear the piece of clothing enough to wear it out and he didn't have to replace it to continue to look decently "business-like" as was required with a few of his clients and the bank. The dark blue pants were paired with a lighter blue long-sleeved shirt that was tucked in. The jacket to the suit was tossed across the arm of his sofa and he debated whether or not to wear it.

Deciding that he was going to show him a new side of himself but still _be_ himself, he put the jacket back onto the hanger so he could hang it in his closet. Looking at his watch, he bit back a curse. If he dawdled any longer, he was going to be running late.

Grabbing his leather jacket and making sure that he had his cell phone with him, he reached over took the clear plastic object he had left on a shelf by his door so he wouldn't forget it. He climbed into his newly washed and waxed car and went on his way to Sara's loft. He wasn't entirely sure if she would be ready, but he wouldn't mind waiting. After all of their casual dates, he was as at home in her apartment as he was in his own. Even with the unusual quietness coming from the lack of blasting retro music.

When he reached the door, he knocked as he normally did. Although he still possessed the key that Sara had given him the night they had the miniature fashion show and went through Sara's flea market prize, he rarely used it even when she was expecting him. The very fact that the extremely private detective had let him keep it was a show of trust that he wasn't going to abuse. He hesitated and knocked again, unsure if she had heard him before. Her motorcycle was downstairs in the parking lot, proof that she was home but not answering.

Finally the door swung open to reveal a flushed and flustered Sara wearing a short, bright cerulean blue robe. She had a vividly colored striped towel around her neck that she was using to pat her hair dry. "Hi, sorry. As you can see, I'm running a bit late," she told him as she stepped back to allow him entrance.

He swallowed almost audibly before answering, "uh, no, that's okay. We still have some time." 

She nodded and closed the door behind him, her trained eye running over his un-Gabe-like clothes before gesturing to the sitting area and kitchen. "Make yourself comfortable; you know where everything is. I shouldn't be too long," she said as she rifled through the closet for a minute before grabbing a bunch of the hanging clothes and disappearing into the bathroom.

Gabriel shrugged out of his jacket and slowly made his way to the kitchen with a shake of his head as the sound of a blow dryer going filled the loft. Life around Sara definitely wasn't boring. He'd thought that she could answer a door pretty normally but it turned out that he was just a little wrong. Adding it to his mental checklist of unexpected things he should semi-expect, he pulled a bottle of cold water out of the refrigerator and took a long drink. He looked down at the plastic box he still held and gently put it on the counter. With a rueful chuckle, he admitted to himself that it was a good thing he'd decided against the traditional bouquet of flowers. The stems would have been crushed at his reaction to the unexpected gift he'd been given upon arrival.

Lifting the half-empty bottle of cold water, he pressed it to his face as he closed his eyes. Tonight was to show that he wasn't just teasing and rented movies and dates she'd never thought of. He could be normal, romantic. In his opinion, too much normality was often over-rated, but a little could be nice. Give people a chance to see things in a different light. She'd already begun to since his birthday, maybe even before. Another small nudge wouldn't hurt. Her greeting at the door put a little kink in his plans. How was he supposed to be sweet and romantic when all he could think about was how wonderful it would have been to loosen the towel and let it fall to the floor as he kissed her and tasted her freshly washed, still damp skin? He gave a strangled groan and took a deep breath, doing his best to clear his mind. Thoughts like that wouldn't help him at all.

The door to the bathroom opened, making him aware that it the noise from blow dryer had been missing for some time. He quickly finished his water and set the plastic bottle on the counter to be refilled before turning around. Sara was nowhere in sight, and he stepped around the counter and forward before hearing a muttered swear word. Sara popped up from where she'd been kneeling in front of the closet.

"Had to find my shoes," she explained.

"Not a problem." He cleared his throat as she walked towards him and he got a good look at her rather Un-Sara-like clothing. Deciding to match his casual-but-dressy appearance, she was wearing a long soft looking warm red skirt that had a long slit in one side that revealed a good portion of leg. With it, she had on a sleeveless gold vest that clung gently to her curved, the front dip showing a small amount of cleavage. Also unlike her normal wardrobe, she was wearing two-and-a-half inch strappy high heels, large gold hoops in both ears, and beaded silver-and-gold bracelets on the non-Witchblade occupied wrist. Her makeup was minimal and her hair styled so that it looked like she had just climbed out of her bed. Or someone else's. "You look just like what I picture a gypsy would look like," he finally said.

She laughed, absurdly glad that she had given into Vicki's prodding to buy the uncharacteristic outfit on one of their rare girls' day out. "I think I'll take that as a compliment," she teasingly decided.

"You should," he answered her honestly. "You look..." his voice trailed off as his eyes traveled over her outfit again. Remembering the traditional side to the evening, he turned slightly and took the gift from the counter. "Flowers and candy are traditional," he explained as he handed the object to her.

She accepted it with a smile; her eyes widening at the exquisite chocolate rose that was displayed in solitary splendor. The delicately formed bloom and petals were made of creamy while chocolate while the stem, miniature leaves, and even a couple thorns were made of dark chocolate. "Oh, Gabriel," she said softly, "it's beautiful. Thank you." She looked up from the rose to find him watching her with serious dark eyes.

"Not as beautiful as you," he replied quietly as he reached out and ran one tousled wave through his fingers. "You look absolutely breathtaking."

She blinked at the compliment. Other men had complimented her when picking her up for dates, but none so seriously. "You're looking pretty good yourself," she returned when she could speak, running her fingers from his shoulder to the waistband of his slacks. "Not at all what I expected from you," she admitted.

"Then we surprised each other," he admitted with a grin. "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded and went to pick up the small beaded handbag that she'd bought the same day as the skirt. It was a basically impractical size but it would hold her lipstick, wallet, and ID. When she turned back to him, he was once again wearing his leather jacket and was holding hers out. Accepting the silent offer to help her, she shrugged into it, eyes closing slightly as he made sure that none of her hair was trapped under the collar. "All ready," he announced, his hand lingering on her shoulder, thumb stroking the base of her neck. She answered with another nod and accepted the offered arm, amused at the gallant, somewhat out-of-time gesture that she'd come to expect from him.

They walked like that to the car and Sara waited as he unlocked the door and held it open for her. After he had settled in the driver's seat and turned the car on, she watched him as the streetlights made travelling shadows in the car. "Where are we going?"

"_Angelique's_," he answered, naming a restaurant that had been around for a few years and was still popular because of the wonderful food, good music, relaxed intimacy, and romantic atmosphere.

"I've never been there," she admitted. "Is it any good?"

He looked over at her with a grin, heat warming his brown eyes. "Very good," he answered.

She smiled in response, not feeling the need to respond verbally, and felt one of his hands catch hers. She looked down as he gave a gentle squeeze, then looked up and caught the simmering glance he sent her way as he released it.

"Very good," he repeated softly.

They eventually pulled up to the restaurant and the car was parked by an attendant as Gabe offered his arm to Sara and led her to the door, which was opened for them by another uniformed attendant. As they made their way to the polished wood stand the maitre d stood behind, both were aware of curious eyes watching them. "We have a reservation for two under 'Bowman,'" Gabriel told the man, smiling slightly when he ran his finger down the list of names and immediately found it.

"Of course, Sir," he said as a young woman in a black dress stepped forward for their coats, waiting as Gabe helped Sara out of hers. She exchanged a numbered card for the two jackets. The man waiting until they had completed the switch and gestured. "This way, please," he said as began walking towards a table on the outskirts of a polished dance floor, making sure that they had fallen into step behind him. 

Gabe gave a quick but subtle shake of his head as the man reached out to Sara, pulling out and holding the chair for her to sit on himself. The maitre d waited for Gabe to seat himself before handing them the rich red fabric-bound menus. "Thank you."

"Of course, Sir," he answered before nodded to a uniformed waiter. "Phillipe will be your waiter this evening," he told them, adding that they shouldn't hesitate to have him called if they had any difficulties during their dinner before leaving.

"Can I get you anything to drink right now?" the young man offered.

Gabriel exchanged a glance with Sara before nodding. "A bottle of wine, please. Use your judgement," he decided. "We aren't entirely sure what we'll be ordering, so something that would work with a variety of dishes would be best," he answered.

"Of course."

Gabe looked over at Sara. "Like the place so far?"

Sara looked around her surroundings. The tables were placed far enough apart from each other to give each couple a sense of intimacy. The small group of musicians playing in a corner was unobtrusive, providing background music for the conversations the patrons were having. The dance floor before them was a decent size and promised that the music may get louder later. The entire ambiance was enhanced by floor to ceiling drapery in the same rich red of the menus with dark wood providing elegance and tasteful gold accents giving a touch of sparkling class. She finally nodded, admitting ruefully "I do have to admit I feel a bit uncomfortable sitting here near the center of the room. I'm usually towards the back of a crowd unless there's a danger of some sort," she explained.

"Would you like to sit somewhere else? I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem," he offered.

Sara looked around them, the dimmed lighting throwing the room into warm shadows enhanced by candlelight. "No," she answered with a small chuckle. "I don't think I want to be a cop tonight," she decided, surprising herself as she fingered the soft snowy white fabric of the tablecloth.

He nodded his acceptance, surprised at the pleasure he felt at the idea. If Sara trusted him enough to be herself instead of a cop, things were definitely looking up. He accepted the glass of wine Phillipe offered to him, tasting it. While he wasn't an expert by any sort of means, he did know what he thought tasted good and this one did. He nodded and watched as Sara was poured a glass and more was added to his small amount. Phillipe left the bottle, saying that he would be back for their orders when they were ready.

Sara opened the red menu, looking at the vast selection with disbelief. If she hadn't figured the place for expensive based on the decorations, the menu certainly would have raised her suspicions. One page was in French while the facing page mimicked it in English and none of the entries had prices attached. Definitely not a place she could afford to go to on any regular basis. Not unless she took bribes and looked the other way. She cast a semi-suspicious glance that was filled with doubts Gabriel's way. 

"I can afford this," he promised her after intercepting it with a laugh. "Don't worry about it. I'm a successful entrepreneur," he reminded her.

"And a pretty good friend," came a laughing female voice. They both looked over to see a woman with artfully arranged blonde tresses and an unobtrusively elegant dress standing near their table.

Gabriel grinned and stood up to hug her. "It's been too long, Angel."

She laughed and agreed, her eyes drawing back to Sara. "Too long, if you're showing your serious side to a woman," she teased, laughing again when a flush crept up his face.

"Angel, this is Sara Pezzini. Sara, this is Angel, an old friend of mine and the owner of this fine dining establishment," he introduced, sitting down when he finished.

"Don't let him get away with acting coy," the blonde warned Sara. "I wouldn't have made it this far in the restaurant business if it weren't for his backing," she freely admitted.

"I'll be sure to watch him," Sara promised with a laugh as his face went a shade brighter.

Angel nodded and plucked the menu from Sara's hand, following it up with collecting the one from the table. "Don't even think about ordering from the menu," she warned. "I'll handle everything," she promised. "Why don't the two of you do some dancing while I arrange your dinner?" She sailed away before they could respond, leaving a bemused Sara and flushed Gabe in her wake.

Sara looked from the empty dance floor to Gabe, laughing internally at him. She suspected that one of the few people in this world who could fluster the man sitting before her had just left.

"Sorry about Angel. I've known her for years; makes her think she can speak her mind no matter what."

"Not a problem," she accepted easily. "Shouldn't we be dancing?"

Gabe laughed and stood up. "Unless we want her to come back out and lead us herself," he joked. He held Sara's chair for her to get out of and they made their way the short distance to the floor. Once there, they fell together naturally, the steps coming to each naturally as they danced to the smooth jazz.

TBC

Romantic enough for everyone who's been asking for romance? Who wants more?


End file.
